P1racenews AI automatic summary:
A lengthy and controversial qualifying session at Imola ends with Oscar Piastri on pole.
Oscar Piastri claimed pole position at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, narrowly beating Max Verstappen in a highly dramatic qualifying session at Imola. The session was riddled with delays and controversy, including heavy crashes for Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto in Q1. Piastri’s flawless performance secured McLaren’s first pole position at Imola since Kimi Raikkonen in 2005, just edging out Verstappen by 0.034s. Lando Norris could only manage fourth place after a poor final lap, losing out to George Russell in third. The Ferraris faced humiliation with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton eliminated in Q2, knocked out by the Aston Martin duo of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso using medium tires.
In the final moments of Q3, Verstappen initially held a slight advantage over Piastri, but the Australian driver delivered an impressive final lap to secure pole position by 0.102s. Verstappen settled for the front row alongside Piastri, with Russell claiming third and Norris in fifth. The session marked a significant disappointment for Ferrari, as they suffered a double elimination in Q2 at their home track, with Leclerc and Hamilton finishing outside the top ten. Tsunoda and Colapinto’s crashes in Q1 added further drama to an already tense qualifying session, with Tsunoda escaping a violent barrel-roll uninjured and Colapinto’s mishap leading to elimination. Overall, a thrilling and eventful qualifying session set the stage for an exciting race at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
