Ferrari set the pace today while Redbull struggled to keep up during practice for this weekends Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Finlay McSporran
Published: 20:28, 17th May 2024

Charles Leclerc topped both FP1 and FP2 today, while Redbull struggled to keep up as they look to return to winning ways after a disappointing Miami GP.

FP1

FP1 saw the return of F2 driver Oliver Bearman, as he returned to F1 after his incredible stand in performance for Ferrari earlier this year. This time however he was with Haas, replacing Kevin Magnussen for the first of six FP1 outings with the team this year.

But the big story of FP1 was the wind, and how it caught many drivers out.

Carlos Sainz was forced to cut the variante alta chicane, while Daniel Riccardo went deep into turn 17. Lewis Hamilton spun round at turn 12 and even Max Verstappen was caught out, as he went off at turn 12 in what was a bit off a scrappy session for Verstappen, as he struggled to find a setup that suited him.

The red flags came out 20 minutes into the session as Alex Albon pulled over with a mechanical issue.

When the session came to an end it was Charles Leclerc top of the timing sheets with a 1:16.990, a tenth faster than George Russel in second, with Carlos Sainz in 3rd in what was an encouraging session for the Tifosi. Redbull were just behind with Perez ahead of Verstappen in 5th.

FP2

Leclerc’s strong pace would continue into FP2 as he topped the timing sheets once again this time from Oscar Piastry, who now has the upgrades that helped his teammate Lando Norris win the Miami grand prix installed on his car as well.

But the surprise of the session was Yuki Tsunoda who finished P3 in his RB, ahead of both Redbulls.

It was another difficult session for Redbull, with even Verstappen himself saying that they are “severely off pace”, adding that he was “not really feeling comfortable in the car”.

Elsewhere, Nico Hulkenberg finished 9th in the upgraded Haas, while teammate Kevin Magnussen was 17th in the Bahrain spec car.

This sets up what will be an interesting day tomorrow, as Redbull have just one more practice session left to sort out their problems before qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Gran Prix, which you can stay up to date with by following us on Instagram @bloggp_8 and signing up to our newsletter.