For a long time, it seemed that McLaren could be tricked this time, but then Oscar Piastri picked up the pace and, albeit by a small margin, won another qualifying session!
The Q1 had barely started when it had to be interrupted due to a massive crash, marked by a red flag. Yuki Tsunoda lost control of the Red Bull at the entrance of the Villeneuve corner, resulting in the crash of the year. Fortunately, the driver emerged from the scary incident without a scratch, and the fans could breathe a sigh of relief. It almost goes without saying what kind of images a crash in Imola paints for us...
After the restart, Max Verstappen took the lead, followed by Fernando Alonso and George Russell occupying the top 3 positions. The fresh tire final laps and more drama ensued: this time Franco Colapinto crashed the Alpine, significantly limiting the final moments of Q1. In the end, Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, and Alonso finished at the top, while the two Haas drivers, Nico Hülkenberg and Liam Lawson, joined Tsunoda in the list of those who did not advance.
After a very difficult start to Q2, the first fast laps saw Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and Max Verstappen at the top. Then Carlos Sainz came in and made waves! The Spaniard made a fantastic lap to qualify for Q3, and he did this ahead of the two McLarens, while Alexander Albon only managed to enter the final phase in tenth place. And that's not all, as the two Aston Martins, Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar, also advanced, while we had to say goodbye to names like Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto...
In Q3, Verstappen opened with an incredible lap and immediately took the lead. Behind him followed the two McLarens, both of whom made mistakes on their first attempts. The second time, only Lando Norris made that mistake, as Oscar Piastri, continuing his incredible form from previous weeks, secured another pole position ahead of Max Verstappen and George Russell. This was not an easy qualifying session, just as tomorrow's race will not be easy either... We are looking forward to the excitement!
Photo: Reuters / Red Bull
