Hello and welcome to this Total Motorsport live blog for Free Practice 1 at the F1 2025 Emilia Romagna GP from Imola as teams and drivers gear up for the first Formula 1 race of the European season at one of the most storied circuits in the sport’s history.
After back-to-back flyaway races in Miami and Jeddah, this marks the beginning of F1’s critical European stretch, which includes Monaco and Spain in the weeks ahead. For McLaren, who have dominated five of the first six rounds, could find a significant challenge from Red Bull after updates to their car were confirmed for Imola.
Total-Motorsport.com’s F1 2025 Emilia Romagna GP live updates for Free Practice 1 will offer fans unparalleled insight into team strategies, reliability concerns, and potential frontrunners. So stay tuned with us as FP1 at the F1 2025 Emilia Romagna GP unfolds live from Imola in Italy.
F1 Emilia Romagna GP 2025 Free Practice 1 LIVE: Latest Updates
RESULTS: Check out how they finished in Imola for FP1
Oscar Piastri led the times ahead of a very packed field at FP1 for the F1 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
So how did they all finish up? Where are Max Verstappen and Lando Norris?
Find out, courtesy of Total-Motorsport.com, below.
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SESSION ENDS: Piastri tops narrow FP1 margins in Imola
Oscar Piastri ends Free Practice 1 for the F1 2025 Emilia Romagna GP top and ahead of his McLaren teammate once again, the championship leader kicking off his weekend exactly as he would hope to do so.
But based on the evidence of FP1, McLaren do not enjoy a big gap to the rest of the field in the first of Italy’s two races.
Piastri’s 1:16.545 was enough to finish just 0.052 ahead of Carlos Sainz’s Williams in third, then George Russell (Mercedes) and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) were just 0.054 and 0.096 back respectively.
In fact, 17 drivers were within a second of the Aussie’s time, with only Isack Hadjar’s RB and Esteban Ocon’s Haas sitting outside of the one second barrier by 0.096 and 0.117 each.
How will the field evolve for FP2 later on Friday afternoon?
RED FLAG: Bortoleto crashes
Gabriel Bortoleto tags the wall for Sauber and breaks his front wing, but he’s stuck the gravel so the FIA throws the red flag and suspends the session.
Smart for safety reasons and the young Brazilian is okay.
Five minutes to go: Huge slide for Verstappen
Max Verstappen has to catch a huge slide as he starts what he hoped would have been a fast lap in Imola.
He almost dips into the gravel and has to back out of that plan, hitting his steering wheel with irritation.
He’ll go again next time.
Seven minutes to go: Hamilton claims he was brake tested
Lewis Hamilton feels brake tested by one of the Racing Bulls, which overtook him briefly before hitting the brakes to let a Red Bull go through.
Likely nothing too serious for the FIA to look into, but it was definitely a heart-in-the-mouth moment for the Brit who showed good reactions to stop in time.
10 minutes to go: Scruffy laps for Albon
Alex Albon has a few near misses around the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, running across the grass in Turns 3 and 4 and then again through Turns 17 and 18.
He’s pushing to the limits and it’s more than fair to say that he’s found them, now it’s how close he can get without pushing beyond.
The Thai-Brit is currently eighth in a very tight field in Imola.
13 minutes to go: Sainz up to third
Carlos Sainz puts in a very good lap to get his Williams up to third and just a fractional 0.052 behind Oscar Piastri’s benchmark time with Lando Norris between the pair.
Can Williams continue their fine form from the Miami GP? It’s looking good based on their start to FP1 in Italy.
15 minutes to go: Hulkenberg annoyed with Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton catches the irritation of Nico Hulkenberg in FP1 at the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP, the Ferrari going slow on the racing line.
That’s something the German in the Sauber considers dangerous as he complains over the radio.
Hamilton 5th and Hulkenberg is 10th.
20 minutes to go: Oscar Piastri leads the way
Lando Norris won’t be too happy to see his McLaren teammate has pipped him once again as Oscar Piastri heads the FP1 timing boards by a narrow 0.032 with a 1:16.545.
The young Australian is currently the championship leader and has won three races in a row heading into Imola.
Will he keep up this form?
25 minutes to go: Hamilton not happy with cornering
Lewis Hamilton tells Riccardo Adami his car is not slowing down as he battles with understeer in the SF-25.
Ferrari haven’t got on top of those problems just yet, Charles Leclerc has also been struggling with those problems too.
Hamilton is currently fourth, Leclerc in 11th.
28 minutes to go: Nice team work from George Russell
George Russell radios in to tell Mercedes that Kimi Antonelli, his teammate, is bottoming out in Turns 4 and 5 meaning that his car might be running too low.
Over a weekend, that could lead to a disqualification so the Silver Arrows will be keen to fix it. Of course, Russell won’t want to become victim to the same problem.
32 minutes to go: Tsunoda annoyed at Colapinto
Yuki Tsunoda has to bail out of his lap in Imola after finding issue with Franco Colapinto’s Alpine going slowly on the racing line in Turns 5 and 6.
Teething issues for the Argentinian as he gets back uptown speed with the busy life of a Formula 1 circuit.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton skips over Turns 14 and 15 after slightly out-braking himself but there’s no damage done.
32 minutes to go: Leclerc at odds with Ferrari helmet
Charles Leclerc’s helmet problem hasn’t changed since he left the garage, and he’s even having to hold the lid down to stop it from flying off.
That’s costing him visibility and focus around his laps, so there’s no surprise that he’s calling for the issue to be solved sharply.
Ferrari had changed his shield, but he says it hasn’t made much of a difference and they’re now finding a new one.
All this is costing him time on circuit and ultimately data to inform and improve his set-up choices.
34 minutes to go: Verstappen struggling
Max Verstappen’s RB21 doesn’t look much more stable than previous races as he almost loses the rear of his Red Bull in the Rivazza corners.
He will not be happy with Red Bull’s aerodynamicists if they can’t solve this problem sharply on a weekend when his fine one-lap form could give him a shot at victory.
37 minutes to go: Russell now leads the way
George Russell now leads the way in Imola, topping the board with a 1:16.599 on the soft tyres to clear Pierre Gasly (Alpine) by 0.308 and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) by 0.495.
With pole position crucial, are Mercedes in the hunt for victory in Imola? Toto Wolff will hope they keep up this momentum.
40 minutes to go: Norris retains top spot as Sauber stun times
Lando Norris is still king of the hill in Imola with his 1:17.491 from earlier holding up, but there’s still a lot of lap time to come.
Gabriel Bortoleto for Sauber is second in what is considered to be the slowest car in the field this year. He’s 0.423 back from the McLaren.
Expect this order to change around soon.
44 minutes to go: Back into the pits with a problem for Leclerc
Charles Leclerc is now back into the pits and says he’s dealing with too much lift going into the corners at Imola, meaning his helmet is being pulled up.
It’s uncomfortable for the Monegasque to deal with, and he’s boxed for a quick fix as he looks for a “shield” to solve the conundrum.
48 minutes to go: Crazy understeer for Leclerc
Charles Leclerc simply understeers into the gravel at the Rivazza corners (Turn 17 and 18), his Ferrari not giving him the front end he’s looking for in Imola.
This has been a trend all season, and it’s something they will be looking to sharply dial out of their performance.
Leclerc is currently running 5th, 0.378 back from Lando Norris at the top of the times.
50 minutes to go: Lando Norris sets the pace after 10
Lando Norris tops the timing boards in Imola with a 1:17.491 on the soft tyre, leading George Russell’s Mercedes by a narrow 0.070.
Then comes Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in third and fourth respectively, a fine start to the weekend for Aston Martin.
52 minutes to go: Couple of issues for Sauber and Haas
Oliver Bearman’s now back in the garage for Haas, who are changing the rear suspension and checking the floor ride height and plank wear.
The young Brit is currently running the upgrade package in FP1, so it’s likely just procedural checks for the rookie.
Gabriel Bortoleto, for Sauber, also radios in about his ride height as he feels like his car is bottoming out on the straight in Imola.
55 minutes to go: Fernando Alonso angry with Charles Leclerc
Fernando Alonso finds himself angry with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc as the Aston Martin almost runs into the back of the Ferrari, who was going slowly through Turns 14 and 15.
Drivers have to make sure they’re far more switched on if they want to avoid any penalties for impeding in qualifying.
GREEN FLAG: Free Practice 1 begins in Imola
Oliver Bearman and Haas are the first driver-team combination to hit the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari as they get FP1 underway in Italy.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz is on track too, and he’s running aero rakes to study how the airflow is behaving at the latter part of his car.
Will the championship leader keep up form?
Oscar Piastri comes into this weekend with three wins in a row under his belt, can he make it four?
Find out how the championship leader performs for McLaren in FP1, coming up soon.
Lewis Hamilton’s first Italian race for Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to settle into the groove at the F1 2025 Emilia Romagna GP to give Ferrari and their passionately devoted fans a big result they need.
The Brit has struggled in his maiden season for the team, but can he deliver a performance in Imola? He’s armed with upgrades on his SF-25 package.
Franco Colapinto returns
In case you missed it, the big news between Miami and Imola was that Jack Doohan is being replaced by Franco Colapinto at Alpine for the next five races at minimum.
The Argentinian was purchased by the French team over the winter after an impressive spell with Williams in 2024, and now gets his shot at impressing Flavio Briatore too.
How will he get on in Imola for FP1?
Kimi Antonelli: Star of the show
Kimi Antonelli is the star of the show at this F1 2025 Emilia Romagna GP weekend.
The Italian was born and raised in Bologna, located just 45.5km away from the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola.
What can the Mercedes driver do this weekend? Remember he claimed Sprint Pole in Miami last time out…
Will Max Verstappen move closer to Michael Schumacher?
Max Verstappen comes into this weekend as the defending winner of the Emilia Romagna GP, and has claimed victory here in 2021, 2022 and 2024, with the 2023 edition of the race being cancelled due to flooding.
Will he manage to make it a fourth win in Imola? If he does so, he moves to just three behind the legendary Michael Schumacher in the record books.
Welcome to the blog!
Formula 1 is back at Imola, and perhaps for the final time as the circuit’s contract is due to expire and Stefano Domenicali, F1 CEO, has already hinted that it’s unsustainable to have two race weekends in Italy.
So, with that in mind, will the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari serve up one last classic before she potentially bows out of the sport once again?
Find out right here with Total-Motorsport.com.
Where to Watch 2025 Emilia Romagna GP FP1?
For viewers in the United States, 2025 Emilia Romagna GP Free Practice 1 will be shown on ESPN2, with streaming coverage via ESPN+.
In the UK, all sessions, including 2025 Emilia Romagna GP FP1 are available on Sky Sports F1. And fans in Australia can catch all the action on Fox Sports 506, Kayo Sports, and Foxtel.
What time is FP1 at the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP?
Free Practice 1 for the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP begins at 13:30pm local time on Friday at Imola. That means a similar start for F1 fans in the UK, where FP1 begins at 12:30pm on Friday afternoon.
Over in the USA, the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP FP1 session from Imola begins at 7:30am ET on Friday morning, which means a very early morning 4:30am PT start for those on the West Coast
