FP2: Mercedes back on the pace at a dry Imola

Mercedes put a woeful Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying performance behind them by setting the pace in a dry FP2 at Imola.

A dismal Friday for the eight-time consecutive Constructors’ champions had seen them claim grid positions of only 11th and 13th for the season’s first sprint on Saturday afternoon, with a terse discussion in the garage spotted between Lewis Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff afterwards.

But as the dreary April showers relented, Mercedes’ fortunes also brightened as George Russell topped the timesheet on the solitary occasion this weekend when teams could put in the practice mileage on a dry circuit.

Hamilton will also have been feeling happier with a P4 placing behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and the runaway World Championship leader, Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.

After Friday’s wet FP1 and qualifying, Saturday always looked like being the most pleasant and spring-like day of the weekend and there was some blue in the sky as the soft and medium tyres were fitted for the first properly dry running.

A couple of the drivers who had issues in qualifying were unable to make it out early, Carlos Sainz after his Q2 crash and Valtteri Bottas who parked up the Alfa Romeo trackside in Q3 fearing the car might catch fire. The Finn’s problems from that continued and a full exhaust rebuild meant he could not run at all in FP2.

Daniel Ricciardo, set to be P6 on the grid for the sprint, was also watching proceedings on a screen in the garage, more in hope than expectation of getting into the car. That optimism never materialised – the Australian was in the same position as the session drew to a close.

A difficult late morning for McLaren was compounded when a brake system issue was identified on Lando