formula 1
Leclerc sets the pace at Ferrari’s home game in Imola
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc dominated the first day of testing in Imola. photo
© Antonio Calanni/AP/dpa
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc cannot be beaten on the first day of Formula 1 in Imola. World champion Max Verstappen has a lot of problems – and complains over the radio.
The Monegasque Charles Leclerc has the Ferrari home game in Imola dominated the first Formula 1 test day. The 26-year-old was also the fastest driver for the Scuderia in the second session with a time of 1:15.906 minutes and relegated McLaren driver Oscar Piastri (+0.192 seconds) to second place. A surprising third place at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari was Yuki Tsunoda (+0.380 seconds) from Visa RB.
World champion Max Verstappen was also not satisfied with his second training session and had to repeatedly leave the asphalt. “My God, I don’t know, man. Everything is so difficult this time,” complained the Red Bull driver about the lack of balance in his car. After fifth place in the first session and a few driving errors, the Dutchman even had to settle for seventh place late in the afternoon.
Nico Hülkenberg was able to improve on his Imola debut. The Haas driver improved from 20th position in the first training session to ninth place in the second session.
Before the seventh race of the year, Verstappen still leads the championship standings with a 33-point lead over his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez. Verstappen has already won four of six Grand Prix this season.