Championship leader Oscar Piastri claimed a close victory over reigning champion Max Verstappen to secure pole position for Sunday`s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
At the Imola circuit, Piastri`s McLaren edged out the Red Bull by a mere 0.034 seconds. The two drivers exchanged fastest sector times throughout the 3-mile track.
Piastri commented, “It was a great but tough session, with delays, red flags, and tricky tyres. The team did an excellent job getting the car dialed in. My lap was good, despite some traffic in the last corner, and it was enough. I`m very happy with our performance and excited for Sunday.”
Verstappen improved on his final lap, exiting the last corner slightly ahead of Piastri, but the McLaren had the advantage on the straight to the finish line.
Championship second-place driver Lando Norris (16 points behind Piastri) will start fourth, having been narrowly beaten to third by Mercedes` George Russell right at the end of qualifying.
This result sets the stage for a fascinating race on Sunday. Piastri and Verstappen last shared the front row at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where Piastri managed to get ahead of Verstappen into the first corner despite starting second.
Fernando Alonso achieved a season-best fifth place for Aston Martin, running a significantly upgraded car. After a slow start to the season, the team brought their most extensive update package to Imola and seems to have made considerable progress.
Carlos Sainz will start sixth for Williams, ahead of teammate Alex Albon in seventh. Lance Stroll put the second Aston Martin in eighth. Isack Hadjar continued his strong rookie season, taking ninth for Racing Bulls, just ahead of Alpine`s Pierre Gasly in tenth.
In front of their home crowd, both Ferraris had a disappointing Q2 exit, with Charles Leclerc qualifying 11th and Lewis Hamilton 12th. This continues a recent trend of poor form for the team. Leclerc exclaimed over team radio upon hearing he missed the top 10 by only 0.083 seconds.
More local disappointment followed as Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the sole Italian driver, qualified 13th for his home debut. Sauber`s Gabriel Bortoleto will start 14th.
Alpine`s Franco Colapinto`s first qualifying session ended prematurely with a crash at the Tamburello Chicane. While attempting to improve his time, he ran wide, lost control, and hit the barriers. Despite initially qualifying 14th, an investigation led to him dropping one place, so he will start 16th.
Yuki Tsunoda also had a major accident in Q1 at the Villeneuve Chicane. On his first flying lap, hitting the curb at high speed caused him to lose control. The subsequent impact with the barriers sent his car airborne before landing upright. Tsunoda was able to exit the car and was taken for mandatory medical checks. Having failed to set a valid lap time, he will start from the back of the grid.
Liam Lawson will start 15th for Racing Bulls, ahead of Nico Hülkenberg and the two Haas drivers, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman.
Dominic Ashworth