A Ferrari 1-2 in Friday practice has set up hopes for the home crowd that their dominance is going to continue at Imola this weekend.

The Scuderia are in fine shape at this early stage of the season and, after winning two of the opening three Grands Prix of the campaign, expectation among the home fans is naturally that they're going to challenge for victory again this weekend.

The format is slightly different here in Imola, too, with Sprint returning for the first time this season, and so qualifying takes place on Friday afternoon in Italy with the Sprint race on Saturday afternoon before the full Grand Prix in its usual Sunday slot.

Ferrari could well be in a league of their own, too, with them looking once again strong in all conditions, dealing with the damp surface thanks to rain in Imola with ease.

Charles Leclerc was on top at the end of the session, whilst Carlos Sainz was in second place whereas Max Verstappen was the only man not in a Ferrari within two seconds of Leclerc.

The power advantage Ferrari appear to have was underlined further, meanwhile, with Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher inside the top five in their Haas cars, with them possessing Ferrari engines.

The rest of the top ten, meanwhile, saw Sergio Perez in 6th in the other Red Bull, Fernando Alonso in the Alpine in 7th, 8th for Sebastian Vettel in the Aston Martin, 9th for Yuki Tsunoda in the AlphaTauri and George Russell in 10th for Mercedes.

IMOLA, ITALY - APRIL 22: A track marshal clears rain water from the circuit during the delayed practice ahead of Round 3:Imola of the Formula 2 Championship at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 22, 2022 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, struggled in the session and could only post the 18th quickest time.