Oscar Piastri claimed the Poleman trophy after an incredible qualifying at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, and is set to start at the front for the Imola Grand Prix. The Aussie went smooth and easy throughout the session and kept a distance of the chaos both on and off track, still on a mission to stay ahead of teammate Lando Norris, who qualified fourth, for Sunday.
The one chasing Piastri was none other than reigning champion Max Verstappen, who will be eager to get a good launch off the line and take back his precious first position. The front row is completed by he whom the fans call ‘Mr.Consistency’, George Russell in his Mercedes W25.
The middle row is composed of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, on his strongly-upgraded Aston Martin, nailing fifth position, just ahead of the two Williams driven by Carlos Sainz Jr. and Alex Albon, who are getting stronger by the weekend.
Q3
In an odd turn of events, Pirelli may leave Imola with some homework to do as their C6 new Soft compound appeared to be slower than the Mediums on track.
The argument for the case was made by Mercedes, who took the cue from Aston Martin in Q2 and had Russell out in Mediums. The gamble paid off, as he had an impressive pace over the rest of the grid qualifying, just beneath the championship leader, Piastri, in first position and Verstappen in a close second.
Norris’ McLaren seemed to be in a mood, as the Briton was seen wrestling with it and trying to control the wobbles all over the track
On a different note, the Aston Martin upgrades seemed to have a positive effect as Alonso secured the fifth slot, and it looks like the two-time World Champion is not done, eager to push for tomorrow’s (May 18) race.
As forecasted by many, the Williams are on a roll and looking strong race after race, with their two experienced drivers Sainz and Albon keeping it neat and tidy throughout qualifying, no mistakes and solid sixth and seventh positions respectively.
The bottom 10 finds Lance Stroll in eighth position, a frustrated Isaack Hadjar, who bit the gravel and slammed his steering wheel after qualifying ninth, and a great 10th position for Pierre Gasly, who squeezed his Alpine’s power unit to the maximum this Saturday.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Leader |
| 1. | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:14:60 |
| 2. | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.034 |
| 3. | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.137 |
| 4. | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.292 |
| 5. | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.761 |
| 6. | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.762 |
| 7. | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +0.803 |
| 8. | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.911 |
| 9. | 6 | Isaack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +1.076 |
| 10. | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.117 |
Q2
It’s a standing round of applause at the Williams garage as Sainz outperformed Piastri and took the fastest lap of the session. The Spaniard seems at home in the track and is extracting all the power he can find in his W25.
But for every garage applause, there is an equal and opposite garage disappointment. That was certainly what we could call the faces at the Ferrari garage, as both their drivers got eliminated in their home race and left all the Tifosi with no one to cheer for the next session.
Yet, one would think that at least the locals could cheer for their homeboy Kimi Antonelli, but it wasn’t Italy’s weekend. Antonelli was also eliminated as he couldn’t find enough pace in his Mercedes.
The only thumbs-up went for Gabriel Bortoleto, who managed to secure a very respectable 14th position. Which, in light of the Sauber’s poor performance, was an award of its own.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 11. | 6 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.083s |
| 12. | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.244s |
| 13. | 5 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.251s |
| 14. | 7 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +0.739s |
| 15. | 30 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | No Time |
Q1
The first session kicked off in Imola with everyone running the new super soft compound brought by Pirelli for its maiden race, the C6.
Unfortunately, the new compound didn’t see much action, as the session was red-flagged just four minutes from the start. Yuki Tsunoda had a massive wreck as he spun and rolled over the barriers, completely damaging the chassis and suspension assembly. The Japanese driver failed to qualify and will start from the pit lane tomorrow, with the Red Bull mechanics working overtime tonight.
The session resumed with miscommunication at Alpine, as the returning rookie Franco Colapinto made headway in the fast lane before the session was resumed. He effectively gained an advantage by being first to go back onto the track, and cost the Argentinean a grid penalty in his debut race of the season.
Unfortunately, the Argentinian was also the protagonist of the second and last red flag of the session. Colapinto bit the gravel on the exit of turn 3 and spun straight through Tamburello, hitting the barriers head-on. The entire front wing and suspension were wrecked, so the Alpine mechanics will also work the night shift to get that A525 ready for tomorrow.
Oddly, Colapinto managed to put up a good time in his previous lap, so he qualified P15 since his red flag prevented the bottom five of another shot at getting to Q2. This left the two Haas cars out. Eyes were on Oliver Bearman, who would have outqualified Colapinto, but the red flag stopped his time from counting on the last second before crossing the line.
Nico Hulkenberg missed out as he dipped his wheels in the dirt in his last flying lap, and Liam Lawson was counting on having an extra lap after crossing the line if there hadn’t been a last-minute red flag.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 16. | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.039s |
| 17. | 14 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +0.178s |
| 18. | 10 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +0.273s |
| 19. | 18 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +0.578s |
| 20. | 55 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | DNQ |
The F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix begins on Sunday, May 17, at 9 a.m. ET, on ESPN+.
