Formula 1 revs up for a highly anticipated comeback at the historic Imola circuit after cancelling the 2023 race due to severe flooding in the region. Despite facing challenges during Friday's sessions, Max Verstappen's issues seemed to be resolved, and he managed to secure pole position.
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Qualifying 1 (Q1)
Mercedes drivers used different strategies, with George Russell on mediums and Lewis Hamilton on softs. Both Ferrari drivers started the session on soft tyres. Alex Albon ran wide at Rivazza, where Fernando Alonso crashed in FP3. Shortly after, Lando Norris did the same. Alonso struggled, finding himself in the gravel at the Variante Tamburello.
Things took an interesting turn when Nico Hulkenberg briefly held the fastest time of 1m15.841s, placing him momentarily in P1. However, this was short-lived as Max Verstappen set an even quicker time of 1m15.762s. Fernando Alonso made a late pit stop due to an unspecified technical issue, relegating him to 19th place on the grid. Logan Sargeant's lap time was deleted for exceeding track limits, dropping him to the bottom of the grid. Bottas, Zhou, Magnussen, Alonso, and Sargeant were eliminated by the end of the session. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) also noted an incident involving Oscar Piastri impeding Kevin Magnussen at Turn 2.
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Qualifying 2 (Q2)
Charles Leclerc set the fastest time of 1m:15.328s, with Yuki Tsunoda just 0.03s behind on his first run. Leclerc and Tsunoda returned to the pits, while McLaren decided to send their drivers out on used tyres.
Sergio Perez was eliminated in Q2, finishing 11th after his teammate Verstappen set the fastest time. This marked the Red Bull driver's first Q2 exit of the year. Also eliminated in Q2 were Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, and Pierre Gasly.
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Qualifying 3 (Q3)
Verstappen kicked off the session with a strong lap of 1m:14.869s. Initially, Norris held second position, but his teammate Oscar Piastri swiftly clocked an even faster lap, trailing Verstappen by just 0.074s. This achievement is particularly noteworthy for Piastri, as it was his first time racing at the Imola circuit.
Leclerc lost time in the final sector while Verstappen improved his lap time to 1m:14.746s, extending his advantage. The Ferraris of Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will start fourth and fifth, ahead of George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda, Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo, and Hulkenberg.
During the post-qualifying interview, Verstappen, who matched Ayrton Senna's consecutive pole record with eight in a row, expressed his thoughts, stating, "It's been a challenging weekend overall, even this morning. I'm genuinely thrilled to secure pole position; it's a pleasant surprise. We made some last-minute adjustments before qualifying, allowing me to push harder. Starting the year like this, especially at Imola, is truly special."
Oscar Piastri, who qualified right behind Verstappen, said, "A little bit of a scruffy last corner, but around here, it is so hard to do a perfect lap. So close to pole, but I'm so happy - it's been a while since I was last up here. I think we can fight for the win. You can never count out Max and Red Bull, but confidence is high."
Lando Norris, who qualified third, commented, "P3 is not a bad job at all, within a tenth of both of us being P1, so tiny margins. We've had a great day and a great weekend so far, and Oscar has done a great job. We are getting closer; to be ahead of Ferrari is also a nice result for us. It's going to be a tough race."
Catch the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday, 19th May, at 14:00 BST, to see whether Max Verstappen can turn his pole position into another victory.
