Chaos, Confidence, and a Cockpit Nut: McLaren Dominate Imola FP2

Free Practice 2 at the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix delivered a session that was equal parts competitive and chaotic, and by the end of the hour, McLaren made one thing very clear: they’re not just in the fight, they’re the benchmark. Oscar Piastri led a McLaren 1–2, while red flags, loose car parts, and an impressively competitive midfield made for a session packed with storylines.

McLaren Front-Row Simulations? Piastri and Norris Set the Pace

Oscar Piastri topped the timing sheets with a 1:15.293, just 0.025s ahead of teammate Lando Norris, in what looked like a clear dry-run for Saturday qualifying. Both McLarens looked planted through the high-speed sweepers and composed through Imola’s tricky chicanes, especially the Variante Alta, a section where many others struggled for traction or stability.

Piastri’s car control stood out. He was able to ride the kerbs without unsettling the car, and his ability to rotate mid-corner without overcorrection showed a level of trust in the balance that few others had. Norris wasn’t far off and ran a similar program, reinforcing that this wasn’t a low-fuel gimmick, but the result of a genuinely well-dialed car.

The pace wasn’t just one-lap speed either. Long-run data showed McLaren delivering consistent mid-1:18s on the mediums, with less degradation than expected for the resurfaced track. This could be a real worry for rivals come Sunday.

Gasly P3, But Alpine’s Position Still Unclear

Pierre Gasly delivered the biggest surprise of FP2, landing in third with a 1:15.569 and splitting the McLarens from the usual front-runners. It was a composed and tidy lap, and the Alpine looked especially responsive through the high-speed sections, with strong traction out of Turn 9 and clean rotation through Piratella.

But while Gasly shined, the overall picture for Alpine remains blurry. His teammate, newly promoted Franco Colapinto, ended the session in P13, a respectable effort given his limited seat time, but a reminder that Alpine’s pace may be more track-specific than genuine top-tier. Colapinto looked a bit cautious on entry in Sector 2 and didn’t hook up a clean push lap, which could explain the gap.

It’s also important to contextualize Gasly’s result against the rest of the grid’s run programs. Alpine may have run a more aggressive engine mode or lighter fuel, the car looked sharper than it has all year, but this isn’t the first time they’ve shown flashes on a Friday without converting on Saturday. There’s also little evidence yet of consistent long-run pace, and tire deg over 8+ laps remains a concern.

Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon, now driving for Haas, languished in P20 and had an off-track excursion in the early laps. His switch from Alpine seems to have taken him from a midfield unknown to a consistent backmarker for now.

Alpine will be pleased with Gasly’s short-run pace, but FP2 left open the question of whether it’s repeatable. There’s promise, but not yet proof.

Rookie Impact: Hadjar Fast, But Falls Off

Isack Hadjar continued to impress with a top-10 time, but his session ended prematurely after a spin at Variante Alta that brought out the red flag. His lap time (1:15.792) was still good enough for seventh, ahead of Tsunoda and both Williams cars.

The incident itself was classic rookie over-push. Hadjar had just completed a clean high-speed lap when he attempted another push, but ran over the kerbs too aggressively and lost the rear. The Racing Bulls car wasn’t damaged, but he ended up beached in the gravel.

What’s impressive is that, up until the spin, Hadjar was faster than Ricciardo has been in similar sessions this season. His car control is raw but aggressive, and there’s clearly confidence, perhaps a bit too much in this case. Still, the red flag doesn’t erase the earlier data: Hadjar has pace.

Verstappen’s Session: A Loose Nut, a Lot of Work

Max Verstappen’s P5 might look solid on paper, but it masked a disjointed session. Early on, Verstappen reported a loose object in the cockpit, which turned out to be an actual nut, likely from his seatbelt assembly or a secondary mount. He even had the part in hand before dropping it somewhere under the seat. The distraction didn’t cause any major issues, but it symbolized a session that never felt fully under control.

Red Bull’s car wasn’t planted through the mid-corner like the McLaren, and Verstappen had to make several steering corrections through the second sector. Rear-end grip was inconsistent, especially coming out of Tosa and through the Variante Alta, areas where the team typically excels. The RB21 seems to be less comfortable on bumpy, narrow tracks with tight transitions.

Still, Verstappen’s 1:15.735 was only a few tenths off the top, and his race simulations looked solid. There’s no panic, but there’s no dominance either.

Ferrari Underwhelm at Home: Leclerc P6, Hamilton P11

Ferrari’s home GP weekend got off to a disappointing start. Charles Leclerc finished sixth, while Lewis Hamilton, still learning the limits of the SF-25, could only manage P11. The car lacked rotation into tight corners and struggled with rear stability under braking, a problem that cropped up repeatedly through Acque Minerali and Variante Alta.

Leclerc looked like he was driving around issues, delivering a clean lap but never looking truly confident. Hamilton, meanwhile, fought the rear end all session, with visible corrections at every major corner entry. It’s clear that Ferrari haven’t yet given both drivers a balanced setup, and with top teams finding time rapidly, they’re in danger of slipping behind the McLaren–Red Bull–Mercedes trio entirely.

Interestingly, Carlos Sainz, now at Williams, finished just ahead of Hamilton in P10, suggesting that Ferrari’s current pace deficit can’t be explained away by driver adaptation alone.

The Full FP2 Top 10 Classification:

Final Impressions: McLaren in Control, Ferrari in Question

With two cars at the top and excellent long-run pace, McLaren walks away from FP2 with the strongest hand. Piastri continues to show a level of consistency that puts him firmly in the title conversation. Norris remains right there with him, and critically, both seem happy with the car in both low- and high-fuel trim.

Ferrari and Red Bull, by contrast, are still searching. For Ferrari, the Imola pressure is only getting heavier. For Red Bull, the RB21 doesn’t seem to enjoy the stop-start rhythm of Imola, and if that persists into qualifying, pole might be out of reach.

And then there’s the midfield: Alpine unexpectedly strong, Racing Bulls flashing brilliance, and Williams quietly doing solid work. It’s shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable qualifying sessions of the season.