Championship leader Charles Leclerc topped the times ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz in Friday’s rain-hit opening free practice for this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Monegasque driver delighted throngs of Italian fans sheltering from incessant drizzle at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari as the Ferraris dominated, leaving defending world champion Max Verstappen gasping in pursuit.

Leclerc clocked a best lap time of 1 minute and 29.402 seconds to outpace Sainz by 0.877sec and Red Bull’s Verstappen by 1.465, a dramatic demonstration of his superiority in treacherous conditions.

Continue reading this article on Sports Desk. 

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