Qualifying Report - Piastri beats Verstappen to Imola pole

Oscar Piastri
© McLaren

Oscar Piastri snatched pole position for the Formula 1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in a tense Imola qualifying shootout, edging Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by just 0.034 seconds in a session filled with crashes and surprises.

McLaren’s championship leader put together a superb final lap in Q3, overcoming a sluggish first sector with a strong middle and end to clock a 1m14.670s. Despite a scruffy final corner, it was enough to deny Verstappen a fifth straight Imola pole and secure Piastri’s third pole of the 2025 season.

Verstappen had led after the first Q3 runs and looked on course to respond, posting a fast first sector. But he lost time in the twistier parts of the lap, ultimately falling just short. Mercedes’ George Russell impressed to take third, narrowly ahead of Piastri’s team-mate Lando Norris.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso delivered his best qualifying performance of the year, placing fifth after making a clever switch to Pirelli’s more stable C5 medium tyre. The team’s bold call paid off, helping Alonso outperform both Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, who claimed sixth and seventh respectively.

Lance Stroll also made Q3 for Aston Martin in eighth, while Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.

Ferrari suffered a double Q2 exit in front of their home crowd. Charles Leclerc missed the Q3 cut by just 0.082s, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton was a further tenth back in 12th. Local favorite Andrea Kimi Antonelli was also eliminated in Q2 in 13th.

Qualifying was disrupted twice in Q1 due to big crashes. Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda rolled violently at Villeneuve, walking away unharmed after losing control into the gravel. Soon after, Alpine’s debutant Franco Colapinto crashed head-on into the barrier at Tamburello. He too escaped injury but may face a penalty for an early pitlane release under red flag conditions.

The red flags ruined laps for several drivers, including Liam Lawson, who was knocked out in 16th, and Oliver Bearman, whose lap that would’ve advanced him was deleted post-incident.

With McLaren leading the way and Ferrari faltering, Sunday’s race is set for fireworks at Imola.