Lewis Ham🤪ilton believes the “incredibly fast” Imola circuit will be “phenomenal” to drive in quali💖fying for Formula 1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The world championship leader set the pace for Mercedes in F1’s sole 90-minute practice session at Imola on Saturday morning, e🉐dging out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by nearly three-tenths of a second.

His first experience of driving Imola in an F1 car has left Hamilton anticipating a thrilling ride in qualifying around what he described as an “i🤪ncred♈ibly fast and beautiful” circuit.

“This track is incredible - it’s unbelievable h🐭ow fast it is around this track,” Hamilton explained. "I think for a single lap it’s going to be incredible.

“It’s definitely not going to be a great race𒀰 circuit for us, being that it’s so fa✅st and so narrow, it will be very difficult for people to overtake.

“There will probably be no overtaking after Turn 2, but on the main straight maybe you’ll see some overtaking. But on a single-lap it’s phenomenal, it’s really incredib🅠ly fast.

“The grip level is very high, it’s mostly mꦍedium-to-high speed and it’s very fast and flowing, the speed we are going through these corners, it’s just incredibly fast and beautiful.”

F1 is facing a condensed weekend at Imola with a two-day format due to noise restrictions at the venue, but Hamilton feels❀ well prepared going into qualifying despite having less running tha🦩n normal.

“I’m not lacking anything, we have got all the knowledge we need from that session,” he said. “I know where the car is and where the car needs to be, so we’re not rea🙈lly lacking anything.

“It’s very close between us and the Red Bull’s and they are v🃏ery fast, particularly in the middle sector, but I 🗹don’t feel that we are in a rush or anything like that. It was a good session and I got every lap that I needed and more.”