McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claimed pole position for Formula 1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by narrowly beating Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in Imola qualifying.
After an intense Q3 session, Piastri snatched pole away from Verstappen with a last-second improvement, setting a time of 1m14.670s.
Verstappen threatened to respond but ultimately fell short by 0.034s, allowing Piastri to start from the front for the third time in 2025.
George Russell secured third place, Fernando Alonso an impressive fifth, and both Aston Martin drivers utilized the medium compound effectively in a challenging session.
Ferrari faced disappointment as both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were eliminated in Q2, missing out on the top ten starting positions by slim margins due to tire issues.
Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto suffered crashes in Q1, with both drivers thankfully escaping injury but affecting the qualifying session’s flow.
