Gran Premio Emilia-Romagna – Free Practice: Dunne beats Lindblad by a whisker
The first act of the Formula 2 weekend saw a tiny gap of 9 thousandths between the top two finishers in free practice at Imola. Alex Dunne (Rodin Motorsport) was ahead of Arvid Lindblad (Campos Racing), while championship leader Richard Verschoor was 16th.
Irish Rodin Motorsport driver, Alex Dunne, set the fastest time in the free practice of the Emilia-Romagna Formula 2 Grand Prix, with only a 9-millisecond lead over Lindblad of Campos Racing, on Friday in Imola.
The session on the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit was marked by numerous lead changes, with no fewer than six drivers occupying the top spot. Ultimately, it was Dunne who set the benchmark with a time of 1:27.907 in the final minutes of testing.
A very contested first place
The track conditions had gradually improved during the session, allowing the drivers to post increasingly fast lap times. Gabriele Mini (Prema Racing) initially took the lead, setting a time of 1:30.416, before Joshua Duerksen (AIX Racing) went under the 1:30 mark with a time of 1:29.602.
Arvid Lindblad then took the lead several times, first with a time of 1:29.031, then by becoming the first to go under 1:28. The response came from several sides: Mini, Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix), and Luke Browning (Hitech GP) all took turns at the top of the timesheets.
Twenty minutes before the end of the session, Kush Maini (DAMS) caused a surprise by seizing first place with a time of 1:28.022, relegating his pursuers to more than three-tenths behind. But Lindblad counter-attacked in the final third of the session, becoming the first to go below 1:28.
In the last five minutes, Alex Dunne found the resources to further improve the benchmark, displacing Lindblad from the first place by just 0.009 seconds.
« I had a good feeling with the car right from the start of the session. We made some adjustments that worked perfectly. », Dunne shared after the session.
Behind the leading duo, Kush Maini completed the podium ahead of Josep María Martí (Campos Racing), placing both of the Spanish team’s cars in the top 4. Victor Martins finished fifth ahead of Luke Browning, Sami Meguetounif (Trident), Gabriele Mini, Roman Stanek, and Jak Crawford who rounded out the top 10.
The championship leader, Richard Verschoor (MP Motorsport), settled for a modest performance, finishing only 16th, more than a second off the best time. The session also demonstrated the field’s extreme competitiveness, with twenty drivers within one second and only a tenth separating positions 14 to 20.
Free practice standings
| N° | Driver | Équipe | Times | Écart | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Dunne | Rodin Motorsport | 1:27.907 | 20 | |
| 2 | Arvid Lindblad | Campos Racing | 1:27.916 | +0.009 | 18 |
| 3 | Kush Maini | DAMS | 1:28.022 | +0.115 | 19 |
| 4 | Pepe Marti | Campos Racing | 1:28.164 | +0.257 | 19 |
| 5 | Victor Martins | ART Grand Prix | 1:28.298 | +0.391 | 21 |
| 6 | Luke Browning | Hitech GP | 1:28.461 | +0.554 | 19 |
| 7 | Sami Meguetounif | Trident | 1:28.489 | +0.582 | 18 |
| 8 | Gabriele Mini | Prema | 1:28.526 | +0.619 | 21 |
| 9 | Roman Stanek | Invicta Racing | 1:28.583 | +0.676 | 22 |
| 10 | Jak Crawford | DAMS | 1:28.641 | +0.734 | 20 |
| 11 | Max Esterson | Trident | 1:28.671 | 0.764 | 18 |
| 12 | Sebastian Montoya | Prema | 1:28.705 | +0.798 | 20 |
| 13 | Joshua Duerksen | AIX Racing | 1:28.788 | +0.881 | 23 |
| 14 | Dino Beganovic | Hitech GP | 1:28.815 | +0.908 | 19 |
| 15 | Leonardo Fornaroli | Invicta Racing | 1:28.842 | +0.935 | 22 |
| 16 | Richard Verschoor | MP Motorsport | 1:28.846 | +0.939 | 18 |
| 17 | Rafael Villagomez | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:28.848 | +0.941 | 22 |
| 18 | John Bennett | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:28.855 | +0.948 | 23 |
| 19 | Amaury Cordeel | Rodin Motorsport | 1:28.897 | +0.990 | 10 |
| 20 | Oliver Goethe | MP Motorsportt | 1:28.906 | +0.999 | 20 |
| 21 | Ritomo Miyata | ART Grand Prix | 1:29.137 | +1.230 | 21 |
| 22 | Cian Shields | AIX Racing | 1:30.745 | +2.838 | 19 |
