Ferrari FP1 report: Charles Leclerc P1, Carlos Sainz P2

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There was an added layer of intrigue today with the all-new 2022 Formula 1 cars set to face genuine wet conditions for the first time, in the first free practice session for the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with only one hour of practice before qualifying.

It was the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas and both Haas drivers who have headed out there first: Bottas looked to be finding it pretty difficult, as his back end slid around on several occasions during his first lap. Scuderia Ferrari delighted the home fans by hitting the track, but Charles Leclerc spun immediately! “It looks sketchy out there,” says Charles, as he does a little 360. No damage done, fortunately for the championship leader.

Difficult wet conditions but the top two we’ve seen for most of this went straight to the front in the early stages of FP1. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc traded fastest times at the top, with the Red Bull initially by 1.9s with his 1:37.247. Verstappen put in a couple of impressive times to go clear at the top of the standings but Charles hit back with a 1:35.629 to go 0.5s clear of the Dutchman. The top of the standings changed again as Red Bull’s Sergio Perez went quicker than the Ferrari cars.

With 20 minutes to go, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz returned to the track on intermediates, which seemed like the optimum tyre for these conditions. And was indeed the case. Carlos Sainz likes these wet conditions and he was proving that on track at Imola, being over two seconds clear with his first lap on intermediates, as we were down to a 1:32.606. Charles Leclerc was involved in another spin, but after another slightly scary moment in which he just managed to keep his Ferrari on the track, Charles moved back to the top of the standings with his following lap. As the Mercedes cars porpoise away and Max Verstappen backed out of his latest lap, Ferrari continued to surge ahead: Charles was now quickest with a 1:29.402. Carlos was 0.8s off, with Verstappen almost three seconds slower.

With a few minutes until the end of FP1 we had our first red flag of the day, and not a surprising one given the conditions. Lando Norris beached his McLaren after locking up at Acque Minerali, leading to the stewards to red flag the session. But Norris did actually manage to get out of the gravel, and back to the pits.

There was tome for one more flying lap for the drivers after the session’s late resumption but there were no times to threaten Charles Leclerc and Ferrari at the front. What a start to our home Imola weekend!

Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, finishes 17th.

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from FP1 ahead of this afternoon’s qualifying for the 2022 F1 World Championship race from Imola.

Results (Classification):