Leclerc Stays on Top in Second Practice at Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc continued to top the free practice sessions for the 2024 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, setting the fastest lap in the second practice session at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit. After leading Friday afternoon’s FP1, Leclerc once again proved his pace by topping the timesheets in FP2 with a lap time of 1:15.906s.
Leclerc Stayed Consistent
Leclerc’s Ferrari showed consistent performance across the medium and hard tires early in the session. He initially set a benchmark time of 1:15.969s before switching to a second set of the red soft tires, this allowed him to improve to the session-topping time. Leclerc’s smooth and aggressive driving style through the technical sections of the track was key to his top performance.
Norris’s Attempt Fell Short
McLaren’s Lando Norris had a promising start on his sole soft tire run, setting purple sectors in the early part of his lap. However, his effort was thwarted when he ran wide at the downhill corners between turns 17-18, dipping his right-side wheels into the gravel. Forced to abandon his lap, Norris returned to the pits and later rejoined the session to complete the high-fuel running typical of FP2. Despite the setback, Norris showed he has enough potential for the upcoming sessions.
Piastri and Tsunoda Impress
Oscar Piastri, Norris’s teammate at McLaren, managed to get within 0.192s of Leclerc’s best time during his qualifying simulation effort. This placed him second in the session, in line with McLaren’s recent strong form. Yuki Tsunoda was a surprising but welcome addition to the top three, putting in an impressive performance for VCARB at their home race.
Mercedes Found Pace
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, both driving for Mercedes, found improvements on their second soft tire laps, securing fourth and fifth positions respectively. Their progress pushed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz down the order, as Sainz experienced an off-track moment at turns 14-15 on his second flying lap.
Verstappen’s Continued Frustrations
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen continued to struggle, particularly in the middle sector where he had gone off-track during FP1. His first soft tire lap placed him 0.541s off Leclerc’s best time, leaving him in seventh position. Verstappen’s frustrations were further compounded during his second qualifying simulation run when he encountered a slow-moving Hamilton at the turns 5 and 6 chicane. Verstappen abandoned his lap, visibly showing his anger as he cut across Hamilton, who raised a hand in apology.
Sergio Perez, was also affected, having to back off as he approached the slowing cars. Perez eventually finished eighth, just behind Verstappen. Verstappen’s session ended with another off-track moment through the gravel between the 17 and 18 corners during his high-fuel run.
Closing Thoughts
With Leclerc setting a strong pace and McLaren showing competitive form, the completion should be high leading up to free practice 3 and later during qualifying. Verstappen and Red Bull will need to address their issues if they are to challenge Ferrari and McLaren at Imola.
