Formula 2 returns to the first European Race of the season at Italy for the Imola Grand Prix after their three day testing in Barcelona.
3 rounds into the Formula 2 season Zane Maloney of Rodin Motorsports tops the Drivers Championship with 62 points and two wins followed by rookie Paul Aron of Hitech GP with 47 points and rounding up the top 3 is Dennis Hauger in MP Motorsports 6 points away from Aron.
All the cars came into the pits after the formation lap to change their tyres to try to dull the peak of the temperature of the tyres which allow the tyres to take the shock because of the many traction zones in Imola. Everyone except Aron was out on the track.
10 minutes into the practice, Antonelli had an inside lock-up and went too wide into turn 12 causing him to go off track into the gravel but he managed to stay away from the barriers.
Zak O’Sullivan had a huge lock up through Turn 3, Variante Tamburello on the left front tyres slightly going through the gravel but he managed to bring the car back on track.
15 minutes into the session Issac Hadjar tops the timesheet with a 1.29.805, with Maini tailing 4 hundredths behind him and Hauger rounding out the top three.
Maini who was on his personal best lap went out too wide into turn 17. Braking at Turn 17 was a common struggle through the grid. Another turn where many struggled and made driver error was Turn 3 as Marti locked up and went off into the gravel in that turn.
20 minutes into the practice session many drivers entered the pits to look through data and make set-up changes.
Victor Martins ran wide into the gravel into turn 10 but kept it out of the grass which could have led him into the wall. Race control also issued an incident involving Dürksen and Cordeel for impending through turn 14.
With 15 minutes remaining for practice, Bortoleto topped the timesheet with 1.28.923 as Antonelli pushed Hadjar out of top 3 into P2, 4 tenths behind the leader and Verschoor taking the third place.
Colapinto had a huge slide through the chicane but he managed to control his car on track without running out.
With 8 minutes left into the session the red flag was waved as Oliver Bearman made contact with the wall through turn 4 as his front wing was broken from the impact. Bearman walked away from a decent impact.
Aron managed to sit on the top of the timesheet as the red flag was shown with a 1.28.852, with the fastest sector 2. At the same time Juan Manuel Correa was noted for track limits by the stewards.
The session was not resumed after the red flag with Paul Aron topping the times from Gabriel Bortoleto and Championship leader Zane Maloney.
