Revived Verstappen to share Imola front-row with Piastri
Oscar Piastri has secured a front-row start for his first-ever Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with the Australian set to line up behind Max Verstappen who managed to regain his confidence and claim Pole Position in Imola.
Qualifying 1:
Of the cars queued in the pitlane, the soft tyre was the most common choice with only the confident contenders opting to run the yellow-marked compound to start Q1.
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were the first drivers to peel out of the pitlane, setting off to open F1’s first qualifying campaign in Imola in two years.
Lighting up the timing screens on the medium compound, George Russell strategically abandoned his lap, instead relinquishing his now scrubbed-in tyres in the pits.
As for the Ferrari duo, they stayed committed to the C4.
Despite his teammate’s first lap only being rewarded with P4, Charles Leclerc jumped to the top of the order with a time of 1:16.196s
The combination of increased gravel presence and a strong tailwind caught out both Lando Norris and Alex Albon at Turn 18, seeing each driver dipping a wheel off track at the final true corner.
Despite this, Norris was soon at the top of the order.
Max Verstappen put on his usual display of skill, demoting last round’s race winner before Piastri’s flawless run rewarded him with the top spot.
After his hefty FP3 shunt, Fernando Alonso’s Q1 almost ended in a similar fashion.
The Aston Martin driver maturely managed his journey across the gravel after carrying too much speed into Turn 3, getting back on track before heading to the pits.
There he joined the majority of the grid in their garages as a lull fell over the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.
As they headed back out on track, Ricciardo was the driver at risk, needing to promote himself beyond P15 in the final two minutes of the session.
As they began their out laps, Logan Sargeant, Zhou Guanyu, Nico Hulkenberg, Alonso and Kevin Magnussen found themselves in the elimination zone.
Ricciardo’s first sector was lacking, a scary prospect when Hulkenberg promoted himself to the top of the order.
The Australian recovered, moving into a safe P9 as the chequered flag was waved.
The RB pitwall watches on as Daniel Ricciardo leaves the garage during qualifying. Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
Despite sitting in the clear for much of Q1, Valtteri Bottas’ final time didn’t quite make the cut, seeing him and his teammate both knocked out in the first round.
Magnussen’s final run was impacted by a poorly placed Piastri, with the Haas driver audibly annoyed over the radio.
The moment of impeding was noted by the stewards after Magnussen was knocked out in Q1.
Behind the Haas driver, Alonso aborted his last lap.
The #14 instead settled for a place on the back row, with Logan Sargeant alongside him for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.
A notable advancement into Q2 was the Alpines, with both cars making it through to the midfield fight.
Qualifying 2:
As Q2 kicked off, it was the Mercedes drivers who left the pitlane on their own, leading Lewis Hamilton to question where his competitors were.
Russell’s first time on the soft tyre was a 1:16.200s, a time that was ultimately 3 milliseconds slower than his teammate.
Verstappen’s RB20 lit up the timing sheets, setting three purple sectors to set the fastest time of the weekend.
This was done even with the Dutchman running wide at the infamous Turn 18.
Sergio Perez soon joined his teammate at the top of the order, sitting almost half a second back after completing his lap on used soft tyres.
Having never been to Imola in any racing series before, Hulkenberg continued to impress as he split the Red Bull and Mercedes duo with the third-fastest time.
The Haas promptly slipped down the order as the Ferraris and McLarens completed their first runs, with Daniel Ricciardo also besting the #27.
The Australian held the eighth fastest time after his first Q2 lap, an unimpressive feat when compared to his teammate.
Yuki Tsunoda came within three-hundredths of a second of Leclerc’s Q2 benchmark time, putting the #22 RB in P2.
Yuki Tsunoda driving the VCARB 01 on track during qualifying in Imola. Image: Clive Rose/Getty Images // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
As expected, a lull fell over the circuit once again, with Russell, Gasly, Ocon, Lance Stroll and Albon all needing to improve if they wanted to see the entire session through.
Albon remained out on track, hoping to boost his odds at a rare Q3 appearance.
His lap was nearly good enough to promote him out of the elimination zone, however, falling just three milliseconds short.
All drivers, bar Tsunoda in P2, rejoined the session, setting off on their final attempts.
Russell promoted himself into P6 with Hamilton joining him in P7, sending a few big names back into dangerous territory.
Carlos Sainz drifted into the at-risk P10, worrying fans with his lacklustre opening sector.
The Spaniard recovered in Sector 2, going on to set the fastest third sector which rewarded him with a safe place in Q3.
As Ricciardo soared into the top ten, keeping his 100% Q3 record at Imola, Perez fell back into the elimination zone.
With all eyes on his lap, the Mexican succumbed to the pressure, having a messy run which left him in P11 come the chequered flag.
The Red Bull driver was joined by both Alpines, Stroll and Albon in an early exit.
Qualifying 3:
The sole remaining Red Bull was the first car to unleash its full potential in Imola, setting an immediate fastest first sector.
He temporarily held purple Sectors in 2 and 3, numbers which were beaten by Lando Norris.
Despite this, the Red Bull driver’s time was still quickest overall, a 1:14.869s.
Neither Ferrari could match the Dutchman, with the closest attempt putting Leclerc 0.147 seconds back in P3.
Piastri split the Ferraris after his first attempt, almost three-tenths back on Verstappen’s provisional pole time.
As for the second Australian in Q3, Ricciardo remained in his garage, withholding for one final run at the end of the top ten shootout.
The drivers fell into the traditional mid-session lull, commencing their final out-laps with less than four minutes on the clock.
Sainz was the first driver to set off on a last-ditch attempt at pole position, guiding his teammate through the 4.9km lap.
His first sector was three-tenths down on Verstappen’s, while Leclerc’s first sector failed to better his own previous lap.
Although Sainz’s lap remained green, it wasn’t enough to promote the Spaniard.
Leclerc made up for his slow opening in the middle sector, however, with a slow end to the lap, Leclerc also couldn’t improve from his position.
The #16 and #55 will line up from P4 and P5 in front of their home crowd.
Verstappen, after a difficult run in all three practice sessions, looked to be on rails.
The Dutchman improved on his previous provisional pole time, setting an untouchable time of a 1:14.746s to secure the top spot for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen on track at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Image: Lars Baron/Getty Images // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
The three-time world champion will line up with both McLarens in his mirrors.
Norris’ final attempt was comprised of green, yellow and purple sectors, seeing him crossing the line at a 0.091-second deficit to the Red Bull.
It was a momentary front-row start for the #4 before his teammate spoilt his fun.
Piastri put it all together to secure the fastest middle sector among personal bests and a yellow final sector.
The 23-year-old, still under investigation for impeding in Q1, crossed the line with a time of 1:14.820s, rewarding him with a front-row start for his maiden Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Piastri and Magnussen will visit the stewards after the session.
Mercedes had predicted that their drivers would line up from P6 and P7, a guess that would have come true if not for Yuki Tsunoda.
As a result, Russell will line up from P6, with Hamilton back in P8.
Daniel Ricciardo couldn’t do much more than P9, qualifying two-tenths back on his teammate.
For his first time at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Nico Hulkenberg was able to make it into the coveted top ten shootout, however, was unable to make his way up from P10.
With big names out of place and many upgrades to be pushed to the max, the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix is set to provide thrilling battles across the board.
Lights out in Imola will take place at 11:00 PM, Sunday (AEST).
Qualifying Results:
| POS | DRIVER | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:15.762 | 1:15.176 | 1:14.746 | |
| 2 | 1:15.940 | 1:15.407 | 1:14.820 | |
| 3 | 1:15.915 | 1:15.371 | 1:14.837 | |
| 4 | 1:15.823 | 1:15.328 | 1:14.970 | |
| 5 | 1:16.015 | 1:15.512 | 1:15.233 | |
| 6 | 1:16.107 | 1:15.671 | 1:15.234 | |
| 7 | 1:15.894 | 1:15.358 | 1:15.465 | |
| 8 | 1:16.604 | 1:15.677 | 1:15.504 | |
| 9 | 1:16.060 | 1:15.691 | 1:15.674 | |
| 10 | 1:15.841 | 1:15.569 | 1:15.980 | |
| 11 | 1:16.404 | 1:15.706 | ||
| 12 | 1:16.361 | 1:15.906 | ||
| 13 | 1:16.458 | 1:15.992 | ||
| 14 | 1:16.524 | 1:16.200 | ||
| 15 | 1:16.015 | 1:16.381 | ||
| 16 | 1:16.626 | |||
| 17 | 1:16.834 | |||
| 18 | 1:16.854 | |||
| 19 | 1:16.917 | |||
| NC | DNF |
2024 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix Schedule:
Friday, May 17th:
FP1: 21:30 – 22:30
Saturday, May 18th:
FP2: 01:00 – 02:00
FP3: 20:30 – 21:30
Sunday, May 19th:
Qualifying: 00:00 – 01:00
Race: 23:00
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