16/05/2025
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's opening session the air temperature is 19 degrees C, while the track temperature is 40 degrees. The sun is shining and the sky is blue.
As expected, there are a whole load of upgrades this weekend.
McLaren has a new Rear Corner, Rear Wing, Beam Wing and Front Suspension. The Front and rear wings are circuit specific, while a small modification has been applied to the front suspension aimed at increased clearance to other suspension members for improved reliability.
Ferrari has a new Rear Corner, Rear Wing and Beam Wing, Again, mostly circuit specific, and while the rear corner is not track specific and within the standard development cycle, the geometrical changes are small and focused on improving specific flow features, returning local loading benefits.
Red Bull has a new Coke/Engine Cover, Rear Suspension and Rear Corner. The revised engine cover sees a re-optimisation of the inlet, surrounding geometry and stays to gain overall aerodynamic efficiency, while in terms of the rear suspension there's a subtle change to better optimise the shape towards the inboard region for a further aerodynamic efficiency gain. Minor changes to the rear corner are to tidy up and optimise the local flow fields to gain aerodynamic efficiency.
At Mercedes it's a new Front Suspension, Front Wing and Coke/Engine Cover. In terms of the front suspension, all leg fairings have been re-profiled to improve aerodynamic robustness in a variety of conditions - improving flow to the rear of the car and consequently floor load. On the front wing, the aim is redistribution of chordwise and spanwise load through element re-profiling, thereby producing a change in upwash field behind the wing resulting in improved onset flow to the rear of the car.
Aston Martin has a new Halo, Floor Body, Floor Fences, Floor Edge, Diffuser, Coke/Engine Cover and Beam Wing. The revised shape of the floor body, fences and edge should improve the flow-field under the floor increasing the local load generated on the lower surface and hence performance, while, in terms of the halo, changes to the management of the flow around the cockpit alter the load generated in that area as well as affecting the flow behind this region. The reduction in aggression of the beam wing elements reduce downforce but also drag for an overall efficiency improvement at this rear wing level.
Alpine has a new Front Wing and Coke/Engine Cover. The front wing has been redesigned to redistribute the load across its elements and offer local load gains across its operating range, while the rearward bodywork panel has been re-profiled to improve the flow-field delivery at the rear of the car and gain efficient load.
At Haas there's a new Floor Body, Floor Edge, Diffuser, Rear Corner and Rear Suspension. The new front floor shape facilitates a cleaner flow delivery to the rear end of the car, resulting in higher energy extraction from the floor and, consequently, enhanced performance. The new floor edge works in conjunction with the front floor contraction to ensure a cleaner flow delivery to the rear. The altered incoming flow necessitates a new expansion rate for the diffuser and the updated floor package delivers higher performance across a wide range of ride heights. The lower element of the rear brake duct now features a revised trim and shape, allowing for local load extraction and better control of the tyre wake, while additional load is achieved through a revision of the upper winglets, which now include more elements.
The RBs have a new Floor Body and Coke/Engine Cover. The channels in the forward floor create local downforce, but also define the downstream flow conditions for the rest of the floor. This update increases local load without degrading this downstream flow. Meanwhile, the shape of the bodywork undercut has been developed to promote high energy flow towards the back of the car and the floor edge wing. The chassis winglet helps to manage the airflow reaching the rear wing.
Neither Williams nor Stake have any upgrades.
Of course, this weekend sees Franco Colapinto in the second Alpine, a move has not gone down well with many of the 2025 rookies.
Also making their debut this weekend is Pirelli's C6 compound the softest in Pirelli's range.
The lights go green and Bearman leads the way, followed by Sainz, Hulkenberg, Ocon and Bortoleto.
With an eye on those upgrades flo-vis and aero rakes are very much in evidence.
As more drivers head out all three compounds are in use.
Bearman posts a benchmark 21.739 but this is soon eclipsed, with Antonelli raising the bar with an 18.780.
The majority, including Antonelli, are on softs, Gasly being the quickest medium driver.
"I nearly crashed..." says Alonso, "with Leclerc." The incident has been noted.
Tsunoda goes top with an 18.538, while teammate Verstappen can only manage 18.885.
"Check the ride height," asks Bortoleto, "it's bottoming so much on the straights I cannot see straight."
Alonso goes top (18.281) and Hamilton third while a 21.666 puts Colapinto 18th.
PBs in all three sectors see Gasly (mediums) go top (18.110), but he is soon demoted by Piastri, Russell, Antonelli and then Norris (17.491).
Stroll goes fourth (17.921) as his teammate posts a 17.857 to go third.
Quickest in S2, Hamilton goes third with a 17.718.
In quick succession, Hamilton and Leclerc run wide in the Variante Alta.
Leclerc complains of too much lift to his helmet and asks if there is time to have a shield fitted.
Norris consolidates his top spot with a 17.125 as Bortoleto goes second with a 17.548... on the mediums.
Stroll goes fourth with a 17.586.
Tsunoda goes second with a 17.460, but a full house of purples sees Russell stop the clock at 16.599.
Verstappen has a wild time in the second Rivazza, and consequently aborts.
Gasly, still on mediums, goes second with a 16.907, as Antonelli goes third (17.094).
Sainz improves to fourth, while his teammate is sixth.
"The helmet lift is horrible," says Leclerc as onboard shows him having to use on hand to hold his helmet down.
Verstappen closes to within 0.306s of pace-setter Russell. However, Sainz leapfrogs the world champion with a 16.867.
"The screen is too small," says Leclerc of the shield that has been fitted, whilst teammate Hamilton runs wide (again) at the Variante Alta.
Piastri heads out on fresh softs. Quickest in S2, he crosses the line at 16.545 to go top.
Bortoleto goes sixth (16.925), the Stake driver also on fresh softs.
Russell complains of bottoming as Hulkenberg goes seventh and Albon eighth.
Norris aborts his run of fresh softs after making a mistake in the opening sector.
Hulkenberg complains of a tear-off under his rear wing flap.
As Hamilton complains that his car "doesn't want to stop", Gasly goes third with a 16.696.
Leclerc improves to ninth, 0.532s off the pace.
Though clearly struggling, Hamilton goes third (16.641), but is demoted when Norris crosses the line at 16.577, 0.032s off his teammate's pace.
Albon goes purple in S1, but a poor second sector means he only improves two places (16.922).
In the Red Bull garage there's a lot of work going on to the front of Verstappen's car.
Sainz goes purple in S1 but he too makes a mistake in the second sector. Nonetheless, a 16.744 sees him go sixth overall.
"It's so dangerous," complains Hulkenberg after encountering a slow Hamilton on the run up the hill to the Variante Alta.
We have seen how traffic is clearly an issue here, and it is going to be even more of an issue in qualifying tomorrow.
As Albon continues to struggle, his Williams running wide and taking a pounding from the kerbs, Sainz improves to third with a 16.597.
With just under ten minutes remaining, Verstappen heads out.
The top fourteen are covered by 0.576, while both Haas drivers are a second off the pace, along with Hadjar.
"Jeez, this guy just brake tested me," says Hamilton of an RB which had just overtaken him and suddenly slowed as a Red Bull closed in.
Verstappen runs wide in the Rivazza as the Dutchman shows his frustration. "I can't rely on the rear," he says.
Moments later the session is red-flagged when Bortoleto goes off and into the barrier at the second Rivazza. Rep[lay shows him lose the rear on turn-in.
"I crash," he reports before climbing from the car. A disappointing end to a session in which both Stakes finished in the top ten.
The session does not re-start.
Piastri is quickest, ahead of Norris, Sainz, Russell, Hamilton, Gasly, Verstappen, Albon, Bortoleto and Hulkenberg.
Stroll is eleventh, ahead of Leclerc, Antonelli, Alonso, Lawson, Tsunoda, Colapinto, Bearman, Hadjar and Ocon.
Check out our Friday gallery from Imola here.