F1 world championship leader Oscar Piastri set the pace in a fiercely competitive first practice session for the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, outpacing McLaren teammate Lando Norris by a mere 0.032 seconds at Imola.
The Australian posted a 1m16.545s midway through the session on Pirelli’s new ultra-soft C6 compound, narrowly edging Norris, who improved on his second flying lap to post a 1m16.577s.
The session was brought to a premature end with just two minutes remaining on the clock when a crash by Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto brought out the red flag.
McLaren’s strong showing came amid a flurry of upgrade testing across most teams as the European leg of the 2025 season got underway.
George Russell had briefly held the top spot for Mercedes with a 1m16.599s before being bumped to fourth, with an impressive Williams effort from Carlos Sainz slotting into third, just 0.020s ahead of Russell.
Interestingly, Williams was one of only two teams not bringing new parts to Imola, which may have actually their early competitiveness.
Lewis Hamilton overcame early brake concerns to go fifth-fastest in the Ferrari, his best effort just 0.099s adrift of Piastri. The seven-time world champion had earlier straight-lined the Variante Alta chicane, citing issues with braking feel.
Alpine’s upgrades seemed to make an immediate impact, with Pierre Gasly placing sixth and only 0.151s off the top time—marking one of the French team’s most competitive showings in practice this year.
Max Verstappen finished the session in seventh for Red Bull, over three tenths behind, as the Dutchman trialled a revised rear suspension setup.
However, he was again vocal about his dissatisfaction with the RB21’s handling: “I can't rely on the rear, it just feels like I'm drifting everywhere,” he reported over team radio.
The top 10 was rounded out by Alex Albon’s Williams, Bortoleto, and Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber.
Unfortunately, the Argentine driver’s session ended dramatically, as the rookie lost control at Rivazza, oversteering into the gravel and lightly clipping the wall, prompting the red flag.
The tight field, with the top six within 0.151s, underscored the impact of the upgrade packages and sets the stage for a thrilling weekend at Imola, where fine margins could define the pecking order.
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