IMOLA (Italy), May 18 — Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri remained composed under pressure to secure pole position for McLaren at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen joining him on the front row.
IMOLA (Italy), May 18 — Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri remained composed under pressure to secure pole position for McLaren at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen joining him on the front row.
Mercedes’ George Russell qualified third, while Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris took fourth in a session disrupted by two red flags following crashes by Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto during Q1.
Ferrari endured another disappointing outing in front of their home crowd, with Charles Leclerc finishing 11th and Lewis Hamilton—set to join Ferrari next season—qualifying just behind in 12th.
Piastri claimed his third pole of the season with a lap time of 1:14.670, as the 24-year-old eyes his fifth win in seven races and his fourth consecutive victory, having already built a 16-point lead over Norris.
“It was a tough session with the red flags and delays,” Piastri said. “The lap itself was solid, though I did catch up to about four cars at the final corner. Still, I’m happy with the job and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Verstappen, who has won the last three races held at Imola, was initially on provisional pole with a time of 1:14.772, but Piastri managed to edge ahead by 0.034 seconds with a late push.
“Everything was going well, but the softest compound tyre is tricky to maintain throughout the lap,” Verstappen explained. “Sector one felt good, but then the tyres just faded slightly.”
Russell, who set his fastest time on medium tyres, was surprised by how close he came to the McLarens. “They’re incredibly quick right now, so it’s a pleasant surprise,” he said.
Ferrari Frustration
Ferrari’s bid to challenge McLaren fell short once again.
“My God, my God,” Leclerc exclaimed over the team radio after a disappointing lap in front of the passionate home fans.
Hamilton also expressed frustration: “I’m gutted. The car felt good, the setup was right—but we just couldn’t extract the pace. Even on the soft tyre, there was no grip.”
Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli, racing for Mercedes and considered a local favourite, also failed to reach Q3 and will start 13th.
Fernando Alonso delivered an encouraging performance for Aston Martin, qualifying fifth—his best result of the season and a sign of improvement for the struggling team. Alonso, a two-time world champion and former Imola winner, is still chasing his first points of 2025.
Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon followed in sixth and seventh. Canadian Lance Stroll placed eighth, giving Aston Martin two cars in the top 10 and showing promise with their upgraded package. Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.
Crashes from Tsunoda and Colapinto halted the session. Colapinto, returning to the grid in place of Jack Doohan, lost control at Tamburello and crashed head-on into the barrier. Both drivers were taken to the medical centre for evaluation.— Reuters
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