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Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B
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Analysis

Why Mercedes isn't confident it's really ahead of Red Bull at Imola

While Mercedes struck back against Red Bull by topping the times at Imola on Friday ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the overall picture remains incredibly close. Despite having a possible edge this weekend, the reigning Formula 1 world champion squad is not taking anything for granted...

Formula 1 practice sessions are rather different in 2021. It was known going into the season that a quarter of the overall practice running had been cut with the Friday sessions trimmed to one hour each, but just how they’d play out remained a mystery.

But after the opening practice running took place at Imola for the second Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, to sit alongside what was witnessed in Bahrain three weeks ago, a pattern is emerging.

Previous article Ferrari’s Imola practice pace "not a shock" to Norris
Next article Leclerc: "Difficult to believe" Ferrari so close to top teams at Imola

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