Championship leader Oscar Piastri secured pole position for Sunday`s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, narrowly edging out reigning champion Max Verstappen.
Piastri`s McLaren was just 0.034 seconds faster than Verstappen`s Red Bull at Imola. The two drivers traded fastest times across the circuit`s sectors.
“It was a great session but a very tough session with all the delays, red flags and the tyres,” Piastri commented on his third pole of the season. He noted the difficulty with the C6 tire, which proved unpredictable during qualifying.
“The team did a great job and got the car in a nice window,” he added, explaining that trying different setups throughout the weekend paid off for qualifying. Despite encountering traffic on his final lap, it was “enough” for pole, making him “very happy” and “excited” for the race.
Verstappen improved his time on his last run, briefly looking set to take pole before Piastri`s McLaren held the slight advantage to the finish line.
Lando Norris, second in the championship standings, will start fourth, having been surpassed by George Russell`s Mercedes for third place in the closing moments of the session.
This front-row pairing of Piastri and Verstappen sets the stage for an exciting race, reminiscent of their battle for the first corner in Saudi Arabia where Piastri challenged from second on the grid.
Fernando Alonso achieved a season-best fifth position in his significantly updated Aston Martin, suggesting the team`s extensive upgrades have made a notable step forward.
Carlos Sainz qualified sixth for Williams, ahead of teammate Alex Albon in seventh. The second Aston Martin, driven by Lance Stroll, secured eighth place.
Isack Hadjar continued his impressive rookie season performance with ninth on the grid for Racing Bulls, followed by Pierre Gasly`s Alpine in tenth.
Both Ferrari cars failed to reach Q3, delivering a disappointing performance in front of their home fans. Charles Leclerc will start 11th and Lewis Hamilton 12th, continuing a recent pattern of struggling form for the team.
“My god, my god, my god,” Leclerc reacted over team radio upon learning he missed the top 10 by a mere 0.083 seconds.
Local fans also saw Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the only Italian on the grid, qualify 13th for his debut home race. Sauber`s Gabriel Bortoleto will start 14th.
The qualifying session in Q1 saw two significant crashes. Franco Colapinto`s debut qualifying for Alpine ended in the barriers at the Tamburello Chicane.
Colapinto was drafted in to replace Jack Doohan. Despite his crash causing a red flag and initially promoting him to Q2 based on his earlier time, he received a penalty after an investigation and will start 16th.
Yuki Tsunoda also walked away unharmed from a heavy accident in Q1 when his Red Bull barrel-rolled after hitting the barriers at the Villeneuve Chicane. Tsunoda lost control after touching the curb, resulting in a high-speed impact.
Having failed to set a representative time after his crash, Tsunoda will line up last on the grid for Sunday`s race.
Other drivers further down the order include Liam Lawson starting 15th for Racing Bulls, Nico Hülkenberg in 17th, and the two Haas drivers, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, starting 18th and 19th respectively.
