Verstappen secures unexpected pole in Imola, edging out Piastri and Norris
IMOLA, Italy — In a thrilling qualifying session at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Max Verstappen clinched pole position with a stunning lap at the iconic Imola circuit. Verstappen's time of 1m 14.746s in his Red Bull machine was enough to narrowly eclipse his rivals, earning him the top spot on the grid.
Verstappen showcased his dominant form, setting a strong benchmark during the initial Q3 runs and then bettering it on his final lap. His effort placed him just 0.074s ahead of Oscar Piastri, who secured second place before being handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen's Haas in Q1. This penalty promotes McLaren's Lando Norris to the front row.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc led the charge for the Scuderia, securing fourth ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz in fifth, despite the team not matching their earlier practice pace. Mercedes' George Russell rounded out the top six, with Yuki Tsunoda delivering a standout performance to claim seventh in front of Red Bull's home crowd.
Lewis Hamilton will start eighth for Mercedes, while Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten qualifiers for Red Bull and Haas respectively.
Read next ❯ Ferrari to reveal Hamilton's debut F1 car on February 19 at MaranelloA notable upset in Q2 saw Sergio Perez fail to improve on his final attempt, leaving the Red Bull driver in 11th. Esteban Ocon of Alpine and Lance Stroll of Aston Martin also missed out on the final qualifying phase.
Williams' Alex Albon took 14th place, followed by Pierre Gasly in the Alpine for 15th.
The Kick Sauber duo faced disappointment as Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu were knocked out in Q1, finishing in 16th and 17th, with Kevin Magnussen following in 18th. Fernando Alonso's surprising drop in performance placed him in 19th, while Logan Sargeant's time deletion for exceeding track limits relegated him to 20th, despite an earlier effort that would have seen him start 17th.
Piastri's position still remains under investigation for his Q1 incident involving Magnussen, adding further intrigue to the already dramatic qualifying session.
