The qualifying session for the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the historic Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola delivered high tension and unexpected results, setting the stage for a thrilling race on Sunday. As is often the case at this classic circuit, qualifying was crucial, as overtaking is notoriously difficult here.
Ultimately, it was Oscar Piastri who claimed pole position, putting in a stellar lap of 1 minute, 14.670 seconds. The McLaren driver managed to edge out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by a mere 34 thousandths of a second in a nail-biting finish to Q3. Rounding out the top three was George Russell in the Mercedes, who impressively opted for medium tyres on his final run, followed closely by Piastri’s teammate, Lando Norris, in fourth.
However, the session was far from straightforward, marked by significant incidents and major disappointments for some teams.
The biggest shock came from Ferrari, competing in front of their passionate home crowd, the tifosi. Both their drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, failed to make it into the final Q3 session, qualifying a disappointing 11th and 12th. This was a tough blow for the Scuderia, who acknowledged they did not execute the session well and struggled with tyre grip. Adding to the home favourites’ woes, Mercedes rookie and Italian driver Kimi Antonelli also missed the Q3 cut, ending up 13th.
The session was also interrupted by two red flags in Q1. The first, and arguably most dramatic, was caused by Yuki Tsunoda. The Red Bull driver suffered a significant crash, sliding off track and impacting the barriers forcefully, resulting in his car flipping over. Thankfully, he was reported to be physically okay, but the incident highlighted the unforgiving nature of the circuit. Later in Q1, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto brought out the second red flag with his own crash, meaning he couldn’t participate in Q2.
Despite the chaos, there were strong performances elsewhere on the grid. Both Williams drivers, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, had an impressive showing, qualifying 6th and 7th respectively, demonstrating good pace on a track that rewards confidence. Aston Martin also saw both cars reach Q3, with Fernando Alonso in 5th and Lance Stroll in 8th. Isack Hadjar continued a positive weekend for Racing Bulls by making it into Q3 in 9th, while Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10 for Alpine.
Teams and drivers commented on the difficulty in extracting the maximum performance from the softer C6 tyre compound brought by Pirelli for the first time this season, adding another layer of complexity to the challenge.
With Piastri starting from pole and the grid shaken up by unexpected eliminations and impressive runs from midfield teams, Sunday’s race at Imola promises strategic battles and potentially dramatic overtakes, despite the circuit’s tight layout.
Here is the table showing the final positions and times from the qualifying session:
| Position | Driver | Team | Fastest Lap Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:14.670 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:14.704 |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:14.807 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:14.962 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:15.431 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:15.432 |
| 7 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:15.473 |
| 8 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:15.581 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:15.746 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:15.787 |
| 11 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:15.604 |
| 12 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:15.765 |
| 13 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:15.772 |
| 14 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 1:16.260 |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | No Time (Q2) |
| 16 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:16.379 |
| 17 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 1:16.518 |
| 18 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:16.613 |
| 19 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:16.918 |
| 20 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | No Time |
Driver Ratings
- Oscar Piastri (1st, 1:14.670) – Score: 10/10 Piastri charged to pole position at the end of the session, setting a stunning effort of 1m 14.670s. He managed to edge out Max Verstappen by just 34 thousandths of a second. Piastri described it as a great feeling to be on Pole and a really good session despite the red flags. He felt the tyres were very, very tricky today but the team did a fantastic job. The team principal noted Oscar had a few milliseconds on Max and took a great Pole position. His performance demonstrated strong pace, putting the car in a nice window and executing a pole lap despite potential traffic.
- Max Verstappen (2nd, 1:14.704) – Score: 8.5/10 Verstappen qualified second, just 34 thousandths behind Piastri. He was pleased to be on the front row. He felt the car was a lot nicer to drive compared to Friday, indicating positive developments overnight. However, he noted the new C6 tyres were a bit too soft and overheated, impacting performance. Despite this, he was close to pole and put the car in a much better window. He acknowledged McLaren’s advantage in race pace on long runs.
- George Russell (3rd, 1:14.807) – Score: 9/10 Russell qualified third, notably opting for the medium tyre compound for his final Q3 run. He was happy with P3 and felt the car was really strong. He admitted a small mistake on his first Q3 lap but stated everything just came together on his medium tyre run. His team principal highlighted it as a really impressive final lap on the Medium tire, and the team noted the medium tyre looked strong on other cars and worked well for him, allowing him to gain a place.
- Lando Norris (4th, 1:14.962) – Score: 6.5/10 Norris qualified fourth, expressing it was a frustrating day and disappointing not to qualify higher as he felt the car was good. He mentioned losing a little of his rhythm on that final run, where drivers were trying to find extra time. While still qualifying well, he was some three-tenths behind his teammate Piastri in Q3, indicating he didn’t extract the maximum potential on the day compared to Piastri.
- Fernando Alonso (5th, 1:15.431) – Score: 8.5/10 Alonso qualified fifth, a result better than he expected. He was competitive on both medium and soft tyres and tried a different strategy in qualifying. He used the medium tyre in Q3. The team noted his performance was sensational and that both cars in Q3 was a great result. He felt the new package introduced for the weekend had positive results so far.
- Carlos Sainz (6th, 1:15.432) – Score: 8/10 Sainz had a really strong Quali and was happy with the car since Friday. He put in an absolutely incredible lap in Q2 to put the car first temporarily. He felt he could improve further in Q3 but his final run was compromised by traffic management and a difficult outlap. Despite this, he was very happy with the overall situation and felt proud of the team’s performance.
- Alex Albon (7th, 1:15.473) – Score: 7.5/10 Albon qualified seventh, but stated it was not bad, but definitely not my best. He struggled and didn’t feel comfortable with the car, finding it easy to overdrive and lacking confidence. Despite this, he was happy that I finished P7 and noted that being quick even when the car doesn’t feel great is a good sign. Getting both Williams cars into the top 10 was a huge reward for the team.
- Lance Stroll (8th, 1:15.581) – Score: 7/10 Stroll qualified eighth, calling it a good day. He felt things came together in the conditions and the medium tyre choice paid off. He believes the track suited their car more and the update package looks to be having a positive impact. The team principal praised his sensational laps and qualifying both cars in the top 10.
- Isack Hadjar (9th, 1:15.746) – Score: 6.5/10 Hadjar made it into Q3 in ninth. He was really frustrated not to have a clean final lap as he had a new set of softs and felt there was more time. He had a small ‘moment’ in the first corner on his final lap, causing him to abort. He felt P5 was definitely possible. The car felt awesome and nice to drive all weekend.
- Pierre Gasly (10th, 1:15.787) – Score: 6/10 Gasly was happy to be back in Q3 but not happy about not maximizing his final run due to traffic management compromising his out lap. He felt they probably left a little bit on the table but there is potential in the package. He managed Q1 and Q2 well but didn’t execute a good final run in Q3.
- Charles Leclerc (11th, 1:15.604) – Score: 3/10 Leclerc failed to make it into Q3, qualifying 11th. He stated that on a technical track like Imola, everything has to be perfect, and today it showed. He found it disappointing for himself and the tifosi. The team principal noted they did not get the job done and were unable to improve on new tyres, struggling with a strange tyre situation that affected them more than others. He admitted they didn’t execute the session well.
- Lewis Hamilton (12th, 1:15.765) – Score: 3/10 Hamilton also failed to make it into Q3, qualifying 12th. He described it as a tough one. While the car felt good overall, he felt they just didn’t have the grip we needed on the final lap in Q2 which cost them. Like Leclerc, he acknowledged it wasn’t the performance wanted at their home race. The team principal shared similar frustrations about not improving on new tyres and poor execution.
- Kimi Antonelli (13th, 1:15.772) – Score: 4/10 Antonelli qualified 13th, missing out on Q3. He was a bit disappointed. He struggled to put everything together on the soft tyre, finding it tricky to get the tyres in the right window and lacking grip and rhythm. The team noted he struggled for pace compared to recent tracks and didn’t have the same confidence in the car as in Miami. He also lost time on the straights due to a higher downforce setup.
- Gabriel Bortoleto (14th, 1:16.260) – Score: 5.5/10 Bortoleto made it into Q2, qualifying 14th. He was really happy to reach Q2 after a challenging weekend. He felt they maximized the car’s potential, stayed focused, and executed a clean run, benefiting from the misfortune of other drivers.
- Franco Colapinto (15th, No Time in Q2) – Score: 2/10 Colapinto qualified for Q2 but was unable to participate after crashing during Q1. He described it as a tricky Qualifying and not what we wanted. He felt he pushed the limits too much, using the curbs more and losing the rear. He apologised to the team for the work caused.
- Liam Lawson (16th, 1:16.379) – Score: 4/10 Lawson qualified 16th, just missing out on Q2. He felt it was a shame not to do his last lap in Q1, stating they unfortunately missed out due to the red flag and it ruined their qualifying. He only had one run with a compromised out lap and didn’t get another opportunity.
- Nico Hulkenberg (17th, 1:16.518) – Score: 3.5/10 Hulkenberg qualified 17th, finding it a quite a challenging weekend so far. He struggled to find the right rhythm and connection to the car. He made a small mistake into Turn 17 on his last lap, running wide and losing time. He was out in Q1.
- Esteban Ocon (18th, 1:16.613) – Score: 3/10 Ocon qualified 18th. He called it a frustrating weekend as a whole. He stated he has been struggling most of the weekend and had issues with car balance set-up. He just couldn’t quite get there.
- Oliver Bearman (19th, 1:16.918) – Score: 3.5/10 Bearman qualified 19th, but felt qualifying went well from his side and had no clue what happened for me not to be in Q2. He believed he completed a lap before the second red flag that should have put him through, describing the situation as a shame and leaving them very much out of position. The team principal agreed there was overwhelming evidence his lap should have stood. While the final result was P19, the circumstances of the deleted lap make a direct performance score difficult, but the outcome was a Q1 exit regardless.
- Yuki Tsunoda (20th, No Time) – Score: 1/10 Tsunoda had an enormous accident in the early minutes of Qualifying and caused a red flag, meaning he did not set a representative time. He admitted he knew what went wrong and it was a stupid mistake. He said he overdid it and pushed too hard on the lap and took too much curb and lost the car, resulting in a big crash. He apologized to the team. While thankfully okay, the performance outcome was a crash that ended his session immediately.
