Piastri on pole after nightmare for Ferrari in thrilling Imola Qualifying

Oscar Piastri snatched pole position from Max Verstappen in a thrilling Qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix which saw both Ferraris eliminated before Q3 and two huge crashes.

Piastri pipped Verstappen by just 0.034s in the last runs and will start ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who had a nightmare session and were knocked out in Q2 in 11th and 12th - giving Ferrari their worst Qualifying performance at Imola.

McLaren team-mate Lando Norris will start fourth behind George Russell, after being unable to improve on his last flying lap.

Fernando Alonso secured his best grid position of 2025 in the upgraded Aston Martin in fifth, ahead of Williams pair Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, with Lance Stroll in eighth. Racing Bull's Isack Hadjar was ninth, and Pierre Gasly 10th.

Key Moments:

• Piastri takes pole by a narrow margin from Verstappen.
• Ferrari cars (Leclerc and Hamilton) eliminated in Q2.
• Two significant crashes involving Yuki Tsunoda (Q1) and Franco Colapinto (Q1).
• Fernando Alonso secures his best starting position of the season so far.

Driver Reactions & Analysis:

Piastri was pleased with his lap, noting the car felt good for Qualifying despite traffic in the final corner. Verstappen acknowledged Piastri's strong lap.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella mentioned Lando Norris was struggling in a couple of corners during Q3, explaining his lack of improvement compared to rivals.

Mercedes' George Russell used medium tyres on his last run to secure third, indicating struggles with the new soft tyre compound.

Looking Ahead:

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix takes place on Sunday.