The key data that paints the F1 competitive picture after fresh Imola upgrades

After the Miami Grand Prix, it was clear that McLaren had a strong hold of the F1 title fight following its dominant display en route to a 1-2 finish.

George Russell and Max Verstappen for Mercedes and Red Bull respectively, were left languishing over 35 seconds down on race winner Oscar Piastri at the chequered flag.

The following races, including this weekend's event in Imola, were pinned as critical in the context of the title fight.

All of the top teams arrived at Imola with fresh upgrades to their cars. For Red Bull, this included a new design of the sidepods and changes to the floor and engine cover as it sought to improve its tyre wear - a key area of advantage for McLaren.

The new parts for Ferrari and Mercedes' have been fitted as they seek to win for the first time this year.

But what clues did the Friday laps offer for the weekend ahead?

Qualifying pace

With McLaren heading into the Imola round as the clear favourite for success, the practice data suggests the Woking-based squad's advantage has not diminished.

The chasing top teams were between four and five-tenths down on the pace set by Piastri, who led the second practice session ahead of Norris.

Piastri held an advantage throughout most of the lap, however Ferrari was able to capitalise out of the final corner once full traction was applied and on the run across the start/finish line.

The RB21 is stronger in very few areas, but only through the Turn 14/15 chicane and the traction zone out of the last heavy braking section.

Red Bull is among the strongest in straight-line speed, with Yuki Tsunoda's 334 km/h the top figure recorded during the session. However, with Imola being a circuit that relies a lot on downforce, top speed is not as critical compared to other venues.

With overtaking being a tricky task to achieve at the Imola track, qualifying will be a highly important session on Saturday. Verstappen has been able to make the difference at half of the races so far - but this time around, McLaren's advantage might just be too big for anyone to overcome.

Piastri made up the most time in the first sector, while the best final sector was impressively set by Alpine's Pierre Gasly.

View the data from the qualifying simulations below. The article continues after that.

Long runs

Long run pace has been where McLaren has really been able to flex its muscles in the opening six rounds.

In what will be a bitter blow to the competition at Imola, the advantage seems to be intact for the papaya-coloured team.

Helmut Marko acknowledged Red Bull was likely driving with more fuel compared to the competition but the average difference per lap was six-tenths.

An analysis of the lap times during the long runs once again shows McLaren is able to have competitive pace over a longer distance, highlighting its healthy tyre management advantage.

The new parts for Imola have seemingly kept McLaren on top as the squad looks to further stamp its authority in the title race early on in the campaign.

It seems it will take something significant for the team to be beaten on Saturday and Sunday this time around - but McLaren is all too aware that nothing is ever guaranteed in F1.

View the long run data below!