Verstappen leads practice at Imola ahead of qualifying

Max Verstappen posted the fastest time in the final practice for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix to boost his chances of taking pole position later Saturday.

The Red Bull driver was nearly half a second faster than the rest of the pack. He was 0.456 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and .557 clear of world champion Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.

Mercedes led the two practice sessions on Friday with Valtteri Bottas fastest in both, just ahead of Hamilton as Red Bull endured a tough start to the weekend.

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz of Spain is chased by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands during free practice for Sunday's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Imola track, Italy, Saturday, April 17, 2021. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

Verstappen’s second practice lasted just 10 minutes after a driveshaft problem.

Bottas was only eighth-fastest on Saturday, nearly a second slower than Verstappen.

The Emilia-Romagna GP is the second race of the Formula One season. Hamilton won the opener in Bahrain last month, just ahead of Verstappen after a thrilling duel.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during free practice for Sunday's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Imola track, Italy, Saturday, April 17, 2021. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

That race was effectively decided when Verstappen overtook Hamilton but went too wide on a turn and off the track limits. He was told by his team to give Hamilton the position back.

Track limits could also pose a problem at Imola as several drivers had their times deleted after running wide on Turn Nine.

Saturday’s practice was briefly red-flagged after Nicholas Latifi lost control at the Villeneuve chicane and slid through the gravel and into the barriers.

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland steers his car at pits during free practice for Sunday's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Imola track, Italy, Saturday, April 17, 2021. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

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Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz of Spain at pits during free practice for Sunday's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Imola track, Italy, Saturday, April 17, 2021. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

Ferrari sport director Mattia Binotto walks the pit lane during free practice for Sunday's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Imola track, Italy, Saturday, April 17, 2021. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

Alfa Romeo driver Antonio Giovinazzi of Italy goes out in the gravel during free practice for Sunday's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Imola track, Italy, Saturday, April 17, 2021. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

Mercedes driver George Russell was quickest in the second and final practice session at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix ahead of the sprint race later Saturday.

Russell was 0.081 seconds faster than Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez on a warm and sunny day at Imola in contrast to the miserable conditions on Friday.

Championship leader Charles Leclerc, who has won two of the three races this season, was third-fastest in his Ferrari, 0.283 behind Russell and just ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco steers his car during the second free practice for Sunday's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, in Imola, Italy, Saturday, April 23, 2022. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

The sprint returns this weekend for the first of three races in 2022. Instead of the usual three practice sessions, there was only one practice followed by qualifying on Friday for Saturday’s sprint. The results set the grid for Sunday’s grand prix and also offer points for the top eight finishers — in a slight change from last year’s debut of the format.

World champion Max Verstappen is on pole position for the 21-lap dash to the finish line later, after besting Leclerc in Friday’s incident-packed qualifying session that saw five red flags.

Verstappen, who was seventh-fastest in the practice session, won the Saudi Arabian GP but that was sandwiched between retirements in Bahrain and Australia. He is already 46 points behind Leclerc, who leads the championship by 34 points over Russell.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain arrives in the paddock at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, in Imola, Italy, Saturday, April 23, 2022. Italy's Emila Romagna Formula One Grand Prix will take place on Sunday. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno).

Leclerc will also be cheered on by the passionate, red-clad “tifosi” at the track named after the Italian team’s founder and his son: Enzo and Dino Ferrari.

Imola returned to the F1 calendar in 2020 after a 14-year absence, but this is the first time in three editions that fans have been allowed in because of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 120,000 tickets have been sold for the weekend.

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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the second free practice for Sunday's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, in Imola, Italy, Saturday, April 23, 2022. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)