Friday Report - Piastri leads Norris in FP2 at Imola

Oscar Piastri
© McLaren

Having already set the pace in FP1, Piastri underlined McLaren's early weekend dominance by setting a fastest lap of 1m15.293s on Pirelli's softest C6 compound. Norris, who also appeared comfortable throughout the session, couldn't quite overhaul the Australian despite going fastest in the middle sector on his final attempt.

The one-hour afternoon session at the historic Imola circuit saw a flurry of qualifying simulation runs after the opening 20 minutes, with George Russell initially dipping below last year's pole time in his Mercedes with a 1m15.693s. But both McLaren drivers soon eclipsed that benchmark.

Pierre Gasly was the surprise of the day, finishing third for Alpine and confirming the pace hinted at earlier in FP1. The Frenchman was just under three tenths off Piastri, putting Alpine firmly in the mix after a difficult start to the season.

Russell ended up fourth, just ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen. The reigning world champion had a smoother outing after a troubled FP1 but still found himself four tenths off the McLarens, unable to challenge for the top spots.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took sixth, though the Monegasque was vocal over team radio about the car's lack of stability through key corners such as Villeneuve and Acque Minerali.

Seventh went to Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, who brought out the session's only red flag. With eight minutes to go, Hadjar lost control through Turn 1 and spun into the gravel, beaching his car. The session resumed for a short final run, allowing practice starts.

Yuki Tsunoda backed up Racing Bulls' pace with eighth, while Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon completed the top ten.

Lewis Hamilton was 11th after continuing to struggle with Ferrari's braking system, while Alpine returnee Franco Colapinto impressed with 13th on his F1 comeback.

McLaren's 1-2 finish leaves them the team to beat heading into Saturday's qualifying session at a tightly packed Imola.