Oscar Piastri continued his perfect start to the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend by leading a second successive practice session at Imola, heading a McLaren 1-2 ahead of teammate Lando Norris in FP2.
The Australian was the class of the field again on Friday afternoon, stopping the clock at 1:15.293 to narrowly edge Norris by just 0.025s. The pair proved untouchable at the front, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly nearly three tenths adrift in third after another impressive showing for the French outfit.
George Russell had briefly set the pace for Mercedes early on with a 1:15.693 on the new C6 soft tyre compound, beating last year’s pole time. But once McLaren unleashed their full pace, it was clear they remained the benchmark.
Piastri produced a clean lap early in the session to secure top spot in FP2 at Imola, while Norris looked set to eclipse him before a snap of oversteer in the final corner cost him time. That moment ensured Piastri would end the day fastest, following up on his FP1-topping performance earlier in the day.
Hadjar crash ends session early as Ferrari struggles continue
The session was red-flagged in the final minutes after Isack Hadjar lost control of his Racing Bulls machine at the Tamburello chicane, ending up beached in the gravel. Though he avoided significant damage, the incident halted late long-run simulations for several teams.
Despite his spin, Hadjar still managed to finish an impressive seventh, just behind Charles Leclerc, whose Ferrari again looked a step behind on one-lap pace.
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The Monegasque complained about weaknesses in key sections of the track and was sixth overall, while Lewis Hamilton was 11th after more issues at Variante Alta and frequent traffic.
Max Verstappen showed better balance in FP2 than in the earlier session but still finished fifth, four tenths off the pace. The Red Bull driver reported “bottoming quite hard” through Acque Minerali, suggesting the team still has work to do to catch McLaren.
Yuki Tsunoda, Carlos Sainz, and Alex Albon completed the top 10, with Franco Colapinto finishing a respectable 13th on his return to Alpine duty. Elsewhere, Kimi Antonelli had a close call with Tsunoda and was 18th, while Esteban Ocon brought up the rear for Haas.
With McLaren’s pace now confirmed over both short and long runs, attention turns to FP3 and Qualifying, where the field will look to close the gap to Piastri and Norris.
Who was fastest in FP2 at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
Oscar Piastri topped the session with a time of 1:15.293, ahead of team-mate Lando Norris.
Why was FP2 red-flagged at Imola?
The session was briefly halted after Isack Hadjar spun into the gravel at Turn 1, ending his afternoon early.
How did Max Verstappen perform in FP2?
Verstappen improved on his FP1 struggles but still finished fifth, citing car balance issues through key corners.
