Piastri edges Norris to set pace at Imola practice

Series leader Oscar Piastri led team-mate Lando Norris to another McLaren 1-2 in Friday’s second free practice at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the pair having taken the same positions earlier in opening practice.

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Piastri, who leads Norris by 16 points in the drivers' title race, maintained his consistency and poise with a best lap in 1min 15.293sec, outpacing Norris by 0.025sec.

On a close and competitive day at the Auto-dromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Pierre Gasly was an impressive third for the turbulent Alpine team ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

Imola, an old-style circuit with a tragic past as the track where Ayrton Senna died in 1994 and also expected to drop off the calendar next year, is Ferrari's home race and marks the start of the European season.

Charles Leclerc was sixth for Ferrari ahead of Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls, who suffered a late off-track excursion, Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda and the Williams pair of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz.