The first European race of the 2024 F1 season kicked off at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola.
Friday’s sessions saw Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc dominate, topping both practice sessions and presenting a challenging day for Red Bull.
Saturday’s FP3 started with an unusually active early phase, as Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, and Oscar Piastri hit the track sooner than expected. After their initial install laps, the trio returned to the pits, indicating possible system and component adjustments from Friday’s FP2.
Tyre strategies varied among the teams, with both Red Bull drivers opting for medium compounds, Leclerc on softs, and the rest of the field predominantly on hard tyres.
Sergio Perez initially led the timesheets with a 1m17.682s, closely followed by Max Verstappen and Leclerc. However, Carlos Sainz soon took the lead with a 1m17.444s on softs. Leclerc then delivered a stunning lap of 1m16.281s, placing him a full second ahead of the competition.
Verstappen had a close call exiting Rivazza, where he nearly lost control but managed to stay on track. He improved his time to 1m16.366s, maintaining second place until Leclerc further improved to 1m16.087s.
A notable moment in the session occurred when Lewis Hamilton, inquiring about the 2-second gap to Sainz over team radio, was informed that 0.8 seconds were lost on the straights, suggesting the remaining 1.2 seconds were lost in the corners. Hamilton struggled throughout FP3, remaining in 14th place and seven-tenths behind his teammate, George Russell.
RED FLAG
The session was interrupted by a red flag following Fernando Alonso’s significant crash at the final corner. The replays revealed Alonso losing the rear of his Aston Martin at the second part of Rivazza, leading to a collision with the wall. Despite the crash, Alonso was unharmed, but his session ended prematurely.
As FP3 resumed after a swift cleanup, Oscar Piastri ran wide out of Rivazza, skimming the gravel and grass, which compromised what seemed to be a promising lap.
Mercedes continued to struggle, appearing to be the fourth fastest team, with Russell and Hamilton placing seventh and ninth, respectively, on their soft tire runs. Daniel Ricciardo split the Mercedes duo with a strong lap on mediums.
Russell momentarily climbed to third place, but Piastri soon claimed the top spot with a 1m15.529s.
RED FLAG
The session faced another red flag when Perez crashed exiting Variante Alta, having taken too much curb and losing control, resulting in minor contact with the wall.
With only two minutes remaining, the session resumed, but a traffic jam at the pit lane exit meant not all drivers could set a lap before the chequered flag. Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, and Norris narrowly avoided colliding in their attempt to beat the clock.
In the chaotic final moments, Norris was the only driver to improve, moving to second fastest, 0.3 seconds behind Piastri. The session concluded with a McLaren 1-2, followed by the Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc.
