The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying at Imola delivered a dramatic shake-up, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri clinching pole position in a tight battle against Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, home fans were left stunned as Ferrari stars Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both failed to make the top 10, facing a harsh reality at a track steeped in Italian motorsport history.
McLaren shines amid Ferrari and Mercedes struggles
McLaren once again demonstrated their impressive pace in practice and qualifying, with Oscar Piastri holding off the challenge of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to secure a memorable pole position. Piastri’s final lap was not flawless, but the Australian edged Verstappen by just three-hundredths of a second, underscoring how tight the battle at the front truly was. His teammate Lando Norris struggled to find rhythm in the closing moments and had to settle for fourth on the grid, shadowed by the consistent Mercedes driver George Russell in third.
For Ferrari, the qualifying session was a painful one. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, the latter driving for the Italian team after his recent move, could only manage 11th and 12th respectively—missing out on the all-important top 10 shootout. This failure to qualify well at Imola, a venue close to Ferrari’s heart, was a major disappointment for the Tifosi in the stands. Even Mercedes’ young hopeful Kimi Antonelli, racing just miles from his hometown of Bologna, couldn’t improve on 13th place, highlighting the struggles of the traditional powerhouses.
Dramatic incidents and tough eliminations
Qualifying unfolded with high drama from the start. Yuki Tsunoda’s high-speed crash into a tyre barrier flipped his Red Bull, although he thankfully escaped uninjured. His accident prematurely ended his session, leaving him at the bottom of the timesheets after Q1. Later, Franco Colapinto also crashed his Alpine just as the clock expired, ending the first qualifying segment with red flags and causing significant frustration for Oliver Bearman, who believed his lap should have been valid enough to advance.
The interruption delayed Q2, but when it resumed, the tension only increased. Leclerc and Hamilton initially looked set to advance, sitting eighth and ninth respectively with three cars still on the track. However, late improvements from Pierre Gasly and the Aston Martin duo, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, pushed the Ferrari drivers out of the top 10. Alonso’s performance stood out as his best qualifying of the season, a testament to the effectiveness of Aston Martin’s recent upgrades.
Looking ahead to the race
With Piastri on pole and Verstappen alongside him, the front row sets the stage for an intriguing race day at Imola. George Russell’s consistent form puts Mercedes in a strong position, while Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso round out the top five. Ferrari and Hamilton will have their work cut out for them, needing to navigate traffic and find overtaking opportunities if they want to challenge for points and redemption on home soil.
The qualifying results also highlight the increasing depth of the field, with drivers from Williams, Alpine, and Racing Bulls breaking into the top 10 or just outside it. As the race unfolds, the ability to adapt, strategy execution, and race pace will be crucial. For the fans at Imola, the excitement is just beginning, even if the day started with heartbreak for some of the sport’s biggest names.
