The first practice session of the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix delivered exactly what Imola promises: unpredictability, upgrades galore, and a few high-speed wake-up calls. As the grid rolled out onto a subtly reworked circuit, it quickly became clear which teams had done their homework, and which still had work to do.
A Different Imola: Track Changes Force Recalibration
Even before the cars fired up, teams faced a new challenge: 13 corner modifications across the circuit. Turns 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, and 19 were all adjusted in either apex or exit profile. The tweaks were subtle to the naked eye but significant enough to disrupt driver rhythm.
A noticeable theme throughout the session was a hesitant middle sector, especially through the double-apex Turns 11 and 12 (Acque Minerali), where a new exit line forced earlier braking and destabilized setups. Several drivers, including Verstappen and Gasly, ran wide or aborted laps in that sector.
Imola was already tight and technical. The changes made it even more punishing.
Upgrade Arms Race in Full Swing
Nearly every team came to Italy with something new bolted on:
- McLaren: Rear corner, rear wing, beam wing, and front suspension, a complete aerodynamic suite.
- Ferrari: Rear corner, beam wing, and rear wing, with the updates visibly oscillating under braking.
- Mercedes: Front suspension, front wing, and engine cover.
- Aston Martin: Floor body, floor edge, floor fences, diffuser, beam wing, halo, and engine cover, essentially a B-spec car.
- Alpine: Front wing and engine cover.
- Red Bull: Rear suspension, engine cover, rear corner, all focused on cooling and stability.
- Haas: Rear corner, rear suspension, floor edge, floor body, and diffuser.
- Racing Bulls: Floor body and engine cover.
The immediate results? McLaren’s upgrades worked out of the box, Ferrari’s looked fast but unstable, and Red Bull appeared more conservative, their upgrades more about reliability than peak performance.
Aston Martin’s comprehensive overhaul was met with skepticism. Despite essentially fielding a new car, they didn’t crack the top 10.
FP1 Results: McLaren Lock Out the Top, Ferrari in Trouble
At the top of the leaderboard, McLaren made a bold statement. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris delivered a one-two, comfortably ahead of the field. Carlos Sainz, now in his groove at Williams, delivered a stellar P3.
Top 10 – 2025 Imola FP1
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber)
- Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber)
The narrative here wasn’t just pace, but execution. McLaren hit the track with a car that looked planted through all three sectors, particularly in the newly modified corners. Meanwhile, Verstappen couldn’t string together a clean lap and looked visibly frustrated in the cockpit. Leclerc didn’t even crack the top 10 and had both setup and compliance issues.
Red Flag: Rookie Bortoleto’s Crash Ends Session Early
With just under 20 minutes to go, Gabriel Bortoleto clipped the outside curb at Rivazza and speared into the barriers, triggering a red flag. The rookie had been running impressively up to that point, sitting P9, well ahead of many seasoned veterans.
While the damage looked mostly cosmetic, the crash ended any long-run data collection and brought FP1 to a premature close.
His Kick Sauber teammate Nico Hülkenberg managed to stay clean and slotted into P10. It’s worth noting that both Kick Saubers inside the top 10 was quietly one of the biggest surprises of the session, especially given the mid-season turbulence around their driver line-up.
The Imola Curse: Gasly vs. Rabbit
In a moment that wasn’t televised but quickly became the most surreal story of the day, Pierre Gasly reportedly hit a rabbit on track. Alpine confirmed the unfortunate encounter, and Gasly’s session ended shortly after.
It wasn’t just a quirky incident, it fed into the broader mythos of Imola as a place where things always feel a little bit… cursed. Between wildlife, tech failures, and driver errors, the track seems to conjure chaos.
Leclerc Struggles: Illness and Penalties
Charles Leclerc looked completely out of sorts. Reports circulated that he was feeling sick the day before FP1, and it may have shown in his driving. He aborted multiple laps, complained about braking instability, and was later referred to the stewards for a tire pressure violation.
To make matters worse, Ferrari received a €5,000 fine for post-session tire pressure changes. And as Lewis Hamilton noted post-session, Ferrari’s braking consistency was “a lottery.”
This wasn’t the start to the weekend Ferrari hoped for, especially at their home Grand Prix.
Toto’s Remote Pep Talk
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was absent from Imola for personal reasons, but that didn’t stop him from giving a motivational talk to George Russell and young talent Kimi Antonelli via video call. The moment went viral as a symbol of Wolff’s continued presence, even in his absence.
Russell responded with a quietly confident P4, a solid session for the Silver Arrows.
Final Thoughts: FP1 Sets the Tone
If FP1 is any indicator, this weekend at Imola could be explosive. McLaren appear to be the team to beat, Ferrari are already on the back foot, and Williams, yes, Williams, might just be in for a fight at the sharp end.
It’s only Friday, but already the circuit has delivered drama, surprises, and talking points.
And if history tells us anything about Imola, the chaos has only just begun.