Oscar Piastri will start on pole for Sunday’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix after a chaotic qualifying session filled with crashes, red flags, and delayed starts. The Australian edged Max Verstappen by just 0.034 seconds to claim his third pole of the season, with George Russell and Lando Norris lining up on the second row.
McLaren looked dominant all weekend, securing a 1-2 in all three practice sessions. Piastri’s pole continues his strong run of form—having won the last three races and now extending his qualifying momentum. The Australian will also be hoping to extend his 16-point championship lead over teammate Norris, who hasn’t been on pole since Australia. The British driver was left frustrated after a cockpit issue hampered his final run, ultimately qualifying fourth.
Red Bull’s 400th Grand Prix weekend began on a challenging note, as Yuki Tsunoda’s early crash in Q1 disrupted the session and compromised Verstappen’s initial flying lap.
Russell delivered a strong lap for third despite an error on his first run, while Fernando Alonso impressed with fifth place on medium tyres—a bold strategy that also saw Lance Stroll qualify eighth and both Aston Martins reach Q3.
Carlos Sainz topped Q2 on used tyres, highlighting Williams’ surprising pace this weekend. Sainz qualified sixth ahead of teammate Alex Albon, with rookie Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly rounding out the top ten. Hadjar showed visible frustration after a snap of oversteer sent him onto the dirt, costing time on his final push lap.
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Qualifying 1 (Q1)
The first segment of qualifying was red-flagged early after Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda crashed heavily at the Villeneuve chicane, flipping onto the tyre barriers after losing the rear of the car at high speed. Thankfully, he climbed out unaided and was sent to the Medical Centre for checks.
Franco Colapinto’s return to F1 with Alpine ended in disaster as well. Sent out into the fast lane before the restart was confirmed, the Argentine spun into the barriers at Tamburello while pushing for a banker lap. He was also sent for precautionary checks.
Ollie Bearman appeared to have scraped into Q2 but was ultimately classified 19th after replays showed he crossed the line a split second after red flags came out for Colapinto’s crash. Haas protested, delaying Q2’s start, but stewards ruled the lap time invalid. Bearman said after the session: “I didn’t see any red flags until I crossed the line, so I’m not sure why my lap wasn’t reinstated. It is a bit strange.”
Also knocked out in Q1 were Liam Lawson, who had a tough session following his mid-season demotion from Red Bull, Nico Hülkenberg, and Esteban Ocon.
Q1 Eliminations:
16. Lawson
17. Hülkenberg
18. Ocon
19. Bearman
20. Tsunoda
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Qualifying 2 (Q2)
With 14 cars contesting Q2 following Colapinto’s crash, the fight for Q3 was tight. Verstappen topped the times early, but Norris briefly took P1 before Piastri pipped him again by just 0.020 seconds.
Williams continued their strong weekend with Sainz setting the fastest time of the session on used tyres and Albon slotting into P7. Their pace sees them fifth in the Constructors’ standings, having scored points with both cars in the last two races.
Ferrari’s struggles continued in front of their home crowd, with both drivers complaining about braking issues and failing to break into the top 10. Charles Leclerc missed out in P11, while local favourite Kimi Antonelli—racing just an hour from his native Bologna—fell in P13.
Pierre Gasly barely made it through after encountering traffic from an Aston Martin during his flying lap, which he openly criticised. Meanwhile, Alonso and Stroll made the medium tyre strategy work to secure Q3 spots, a bold and ultimately successful choice.
Q2 Eliminations:
11. Leclerc
12. Hamilton
13. Antonelli
14. Bortoleto
15. Colapinto
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Qualifying 3 (Q3)
With the track evolving and drivers on a mix of compounds, Verstappen initially grabbed provisional pole with a 1:14.772—but it wouldn’t be enough.
Piastri responded with a 1:14.670 despite traffic and a shaky final corner, securing the top spot. Verstappen couldn’t improve, and Norris, dealing with something obstructing his leg in the cockpit, faded late. He was heard on the radio trying to “give it an old-fashioned bump out the way” to fix the problem.
Russell took a strong third, and Alonso secured a standout fifth on medium tyres. Sainz, again the quicker Williams, beat Albon to sixth. Stroll was eighth, with Hadjar and Gasly rounding out the top 10.
In post-qualifying interviews, pole-sitter Oscar Piastri said, “It was a great session but a tough one with all the delays and red flags. And with the tyres as well, today the C6 was a real mystery. The lap was good; I had about four cars in the last corner which didn’t help. I wasn’t thrilled to be the first car on track—you lose the slipstream but don’t get any dirty air. That’s what we chose to do, and we have enough pace to make it work. The team did great.”
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who finished a close second, said, “I think everything was going very well, but the softest compound is hard to keep alive, and they fell away from me. The race is tomorrow—that’s what we have to focus on. I hope we pick up a bit of pace and manage the tyres better.”
Russell, who has been exceptionally consistent this season, added, “We were going for it. We thought maybe the medium tyre would be fast, and it was a good choice. It’s a bit compromised for tomorrow, but worth it. It was very challenging—opening the lap, we nearly missed the flag! But really happy with P3; we couldn’t have done much more today.”
On a narrow, old-school circuit like Imola, anything can happen. The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix gets underway on Sunday, 18 May at 14:00 BST – don’t miss it.
