Oscar Piastri has revealed how traffic at the final corner almost cost him pole position for the 2025 Formula 1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver was a tenth quicker than Max Verstappen despite encountering three cars at the last two corners of his final lap.
After dominating the early practice sessions, Piastri and the Woking-based squad looked poised for a straightforward pole – but, as ever in qualifying, fortunes quickly shifted.
The Dutchman topped Q1 by three tenths over Piastri before Piastri edged ahead in Q2 to maintain the upper hand.
However, Verstappen then laid down a strong benchmark in Q3, taking provisional pole by 0.049 seconds in his Red Bull.
With the pressure mounting, Piastri needed something special – and, true to form, the calm and composed Australian delivered.
Despite traffic building in the final sector, which he initially feared might ruin his lap, Piastri held his nerve as he bids to extend his championship lead this weekend.
“It was good, I was happy with it – I felt like in Q3 I really found my groove,” Piastri told media including Motorsport Week.
“It wasn’t the easiest of days, [in] FP3, I think everyone put the soft tyre on and started scratching their heads a bit.
“And then qualifying itself obviously had a lot of red flags, a lot of long delays.
“So it was hard to build into a rhythm, but I think by Q3, I found my feet – the last lap of Q3 was a good one.
“Yeah, I thought it was going to come unravelled. I thought it was going to unravel at the last corner with a few people trying to start their laps.
“But it was enough to get through there and still get a pole.”
Piastri reflects on challenging qualifying battle
A dominant force on Saturdays so far this season, Verstappen appeared on course for his fourth pole position of the year.
When asked about his mindset as he set out to beat the reigning World Champion’s time, Piastri admitted that he knew it was going to be a challenge.
“I thought it was going to be tough to beat, I felt like my first lap was very strong,” the McLaren driver added.
“I think when I got back to the garage, I saw that there was a few things that could have been a bit better and found a little bit in a few places.
“That was enough in the end, so yeah, I felt like I definitely had to find a bit more for that final run. I think I did a good job of doing that.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Piastri emphasised the importance of a strong start in his bid for a fifth win of the season.
“I think as long as I can get a good start, then [I’m] confident, it’s a difficult track to overtake on,” he explained.
“I think our pace has been strong, our long run pace yesterday looked very encouraging.
“So yeah, I think as long as I can get a good start and have a good first lap, then that would be good.”
READ MORE – Oscar Piastri overcomes Max Verstappen challenge to clinch F1 Imola GP pole
