Practice 1 Report - Ferrari's Leclerc fastest as Verstappen struggles

Charles Leclerc
© Ferrari

Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari set the pace in the opening practice session of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Friday, posting a 1m16.990s lap, the only sub-1m17s lap. It is a clear signal of Ferrari's potential with its latest upgrades. George Russell of Mercedes trailed closely, securing the second-fastest time.

Ferrari's upgrade package, which debuted this weekend at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, aims to harmonize the SF-23's performance across varying corner speeds, an ambition that seems to be paying off with Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz doing well with Sainz finished a mere 0.13 seconds behind Leclerc, placing third.

"The team has worked incredibly hard on these updates, and it's rewarding to see them perform well on the track," Leclerc stated after the session. "It's just practice, but we're optimistic."

The session didn't go as smoothly for reigning champions Red Bull, with Max Verstappen experiencing persistent setup issues. Despite multiple pit stops for adjustments, the Dutchman complained of overheating tires and a lack of front-end grip, which led to several off-track moments. Verstappen managed to finish the session fifth without causing damage to his car, but his struggles were evident as he ended significantly behind the leaders. Teammate Sergio Pérez found more rhythm, albeit finishing fourth, just behind Sainz.

Mercedes displayed a mix of fortunes; Russell's strong performance contrasted starkly with teammate Lewis Hamilton's struggles. Hamilton grappled with car balance throughout the session, which reflected in his seventh-place finish, behind a surprising sixth-place for AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda.

Tsunoda, driving close to AlphaTauri's home base in Faenza, proved to be the fastest among the midfield and expressed satisfaction with his car's performance. "It's great to start the weekend strong, especially so close to home. Hopefully, we can maintain this momentum," Tsunoda remarked.

The session was less kind to others, with technical issues hampering McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Williams' Alex Albon, who was forced to retire early after a kerb impact caused a complete shutdown of his vehicle. Rookie Oliver Bearman, participating in his first FP1 with Haas, showed potential by finishing fifteenth.

As teams analyze the data collected during Friday's first practice, the focus will be on adapting strategies for qualifying and the race, with an eye on both performance gains and reliability. The proximity of Ferrari's headquarters in Maranello adds an extra layer of anticipation for the Italian team to excel on home soil.

With Red Bull needing to resolve setup issues and Mercedes aiming to stabilize Hamilton's car, the stage is set for an intriguing battle in the sessions to come.