Oscar Piastri overcame the challenge of Max Verstappen to take pole position for the Formula 1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola..
Despite encountering traffic on his final run, the Australian grabbed first place, with a reinvigorated Verstappen a mere three hundredths of a second behind, as Lando Norris would pay for a scruffy final run to start in an uncompromising fourth place, behind George Russell’s Mercedes.
The session saw two long stoppages due to accidents, the first coming early on in Q1, with Imola claiming a big name victim.
With barely six minutes on the clock, Yuki Tsunoda compounded a tricky weekend so far by losing it into the entry of the Villeneuve chicane.
His Red Bull’s momentum carried it skidding across the gravel, sideways into the barrier and flipping over before coming to a rest the right way up.
The Japanese jumped straight out of the stricken RB21 and into the medical car, bringing a total halt to the proceedings.
Replays would show the car was bottoming out on the straight as Tsunoda entered the corner, making him a helpless passenger as he headed towards the cataclysmic collision with the barriers.
After a delay of 20 minutes, the session resumed with all the big guns starting to set times.
Verstappen went quickest with a 1:15.175s with five minutes to go, with Piastri second, and Alonso up there in third.
Nico Hulkenberg set about trying to wrestle his Sauber into Q2, but lost it on the exit of the first Rivazza and put two wheels on the gravel.
But with the session coming to an end, Colapinto also fell victim to the intricacies of the Imola circuit, and after getting onto the grass on the exit of the first part of Tamburello, he too would be sent spinning into the barriers.
With a great deal of people watching him amid his first race for Alpine, including a large continent of partisan Argentinian fans in attendance at Imola, it was an embarrassing moment for Colapinto.
Q2 underway after Bearman confusion; both Ferraris and Antonelli stunned
Q2 did not get underway until 16:58 local time after confusion reigned as to whether Oliver Bearman made it through or not.
The Haas was adjudged to have missed the start-finish line by the merest fraction as the red flags came out, rendering his lap – which would have placed him 10th – non-existent.
The Brit waited patiently in the car for the decision to be made, but it appeared his team relented, which allowed Gabriel Bortoleto into Q2 in his stead, following Liam Lawson, Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon and Tsunoda as the early victims.
However, it appeared that Bearman completed the lap before the red flags were waved, with a red light showing along the start lights display the only thing shown.
Norris set about a quick banker, setting a 1:15.261s with 10 minutes remaining. Piastri was close behind, just two hundredths, with Verstappen a tenth-and-a-half behind in third place.
With less than 30 seconds remaining, Russell went third with Hadjar sixth, ahead of both Ferraris.
Sainz blitzed his final run, going quickest with a 1:15.198s, getting a round of applause from those back in the Williams garage.
With Gasly then putting himself into the top 10 as the chequered flag came out, it put the Ferraris on the bubble, and with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso putting both Aston Martins through, Hamilton and Leclerc were out, to the dismay of the Tifosi in the grandstands.
Piastri grabs Imola pole
Q3 got underway, with Verstappen setting an early benchmark time of 1:14.772s, with Piastri and Norris behind, the latter nearly two tenths off.
Both Astons were ahead of the Williams pair – six tenths down on his Q2 best – as Hadjar led the glut of midfield cars as the quick tyre changes took place.
Verstappen was given soft tyres as he prepared to go out to try and keep hold of his provisional pole position.
Piastri set a 1:14.670s to put him in first, despite traffic right at the end of the lap, as Norris made errors on his final run, staying third with a lap six tenths off his team-mate.
Verstappen would put it all on the line, going ahead in the first second, but would fail to recapture pole by 0.034s, handing Piastri another pole position. Russell punished Norris for his scruffy lap by pinching third place.
Sainz was unable to match his Q2 lap to finish sixth behind a brilliant Alonso, with Albon just behind. Stroll, Hadjar and Gasly rounded-up the top 10.
READ MORE – F1 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
