Charles Leclerc continued to set the pace in his upgraded Ferrari at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with the fastest time in second practice, a session that painted a gloomy picture for current Formula 1 dominator Red Bull.

Key moments

• Leclerc's clean sweep
• Verstappen's third off
• McLaren in the mix
• Positive for Mercedes

World champion and current points leader Max Verstappen was only seventh-fastest in the headline times ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez, with both more than half a second off Leclerc's best.

Verstappen radioed in to report his ill-ease after his final qualifying simulation attempt, saying "f***, my God" and that "it's so difficult, everything, man; this time suddenly the front grips up a lot and I almost spin".

And though Perez's initial long-run pace was in the ballpark of the McLarens and Leclerc's Ferrari, in the low-to-mid-1m20s, Verstappen could not lap below the 1m21s marker to begin with and even experienced a trip through the gravel - his third excursion of the day after two in FP1 - at Rivazza as his Red Bull refused to comply into the first part of the double left-hander at the end of the lap.