F1 Imola GP: Leclerc quickest in FP2 as Verstappen slides to seventh

After he had also led Friday afternoon's FP1 action, Leclerc continued as the frontrunner through the early stages of the day's second 60-minute session when the cars were split across the medium and hard tyres.

When they switched the softs for the mid-session qualifying simulation runs, Leclerc set the best time benchmark at 1m15.969s, before using a second set of the red-walled rubber to blast to a session-topping 1m15.906s.

McLaren might have headed Ferrari as Lando Norris's sole soft tyre flier started with a pair of purple sectors before he ran too wide out of the two downhill Rivazza corners.

When Norris dipped his right-side wheels into the gravel on the exit of the second turn, he stamped on the brakes and abandoned his lap in the pits from which he only returned later on to complete the high-fuel running that typically concludes FP2 action.

Oscar Piastri was able to get to 0.192s back from Leclerc on his qualifying simulation effort, with Yuki Tsunoda starring for RB as he slotted into third.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell improved with their second softs laps to move into fourth and fifth, bumping Carlos Sainz down in the other Ferrari as he had had an off-track moment at the Variante Alta on his second flying lap.

Around all of this, Verstappen posted a first softs flier that put him 0.541s on Leclerc's eventual best time, the world champion again struggling significantly in the middle sector, where he had been off-track in FP2.

When he and team-mate Sergio Perez  - eighth behind Verstappen's final position of seventh - attempted a second qualifying simulation run, Verstappen came across Hamilton touring slowly through the Villeneuve chicane and angrily aborted his run.

When Verstappen cut across the Mercedes' bow to show his fury – Hamilton offering a hand up in apology from his cockpit – Perez was bearing down on the pair on the approach to Tosa and so he too backed off.

Verstappen then later had an off-track moment through the gravel between the Rivazzas as he completed his high-fuel running.

Norris's lack of completed softs run meant he finished down in 12th, behind Daniel Ricciardo in the other RB.

Main Information Additional Data Driver Info Driver Info

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Main Information Additional Data 1  -  2
Cla	Driver	#		Chassis	Engine	Laps	Time	Interval	km/h
1	C. Leclerc Ferrari	16		Ferrari	Ferrari	29	1'15.906		232.819
2	O. Piastri McLaren	81		McLaren	Mercedes	30	+0.192 1'16.098	0.192	232.232
3	Y. Tsunoda RB	22		RB	Red Bull	32	+0.380 1'16.286	0.188	231.659
4	L. Hamilton Mercedes	44		Mercedes	Mercedes	29	+0.391 1'16.297	0.011	231.626
5	G. Russell Mercedes	63		Mercedes	Mercedes	32	+0.405 1'16.311	0.014	231.583
6	C. Sainz Ferrari	55		Ferrari	Ferrari	30	+0.517 1'16.423	0.112	231.244
7	M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing	1		Red Bull	Red Bull	23	+0.541 1'16.447	0.024	231.171
8	S. Perez Red Bull Racing	11		Red Bull	Red Bull	25	+0.646 1'16.552	0.105	230.854
9	N. Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team	27		Haas	Ferrari	28	+0.920 1'16.826	0.274	230.031
10	F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing	14		Aston Martin	Mercedes	29	+0.932 1'16.838	0.012	229.995
11	D. Ricciardo RB	3		RB	Red Bull	32	+1.061 1'16.967	0.129	229.610
12	L. Norris McLaren	4		McLaren	Mercedes	30	+1.074 1'16.980	0.013	229.571
13	L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing	18		Aston Martin	Mercedes	26	+1.085 1'16.991	0.011	229.538
14	E. Ocon Alpine	31		Alpine	Renault	31	+1.102 1'17.008	0.017	229.487
15	P. Gasly Alpine	10		Alpine	Renault	32	+1.158 1'17.064	0.056	229.321
16	V. Bottas Sauber	77		Sauber	Ferrari	28	+1.182 1'17.088	0.024	229.249
17	K. Magnussen Haas F1 Team	20		Haas	Ferrari	32	+1.223 1'17.129	0.041	229.127
18	A. Albon Williams	23		Williams	Mercedes	23	+1.229 1'17.135	0.006	229.110
19	Z. Guanyu Sauber	24		Sauber	Ferrari	28	+1.700 1'17.606	0.471	227.719
20	L. Sargeant Williams	2		Williams	Mercedes	22	+1.942 1'17.848	0.242	227.011
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