Piastri holds nerve for Emilia Romagna pole as Verstappen misses hat-trick
Oscar Piastri delivered a composed and commanding qualifying performance to secure pole position for Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, marking his third pole of the season and reinforcing his position at the top of the drivers’ championship.
The 24-year-old Australian produced a lap of 1:14.670 in Q3, edging out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.34 seconds after a disrupted and dramatic qualifying session at Imola. The McLaren driver brushed aside traffic concerns and held his nerve in a tense final run.
“I wasn’t thrilled to be the first car on track,” said Piastri. “You lose slipstream going first, but you don’t have dirty air. I think that definitely helped me out a bit… we stuck to our guns and the team did a great job of executing that one.”
Verstappen, denied a third consecutive pole, remained upbeat. “It was a good day for us,” said the reigning champion, who starts alongside Piastri on the front row.
George Russell qualified third for Mercedes, ahead of Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. Norris, who won the season-opener in Australia, was left puzzled by his Q3 struggles. “It is what it is. I guess I just wasn’t quick enough,” he said.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both failed to reach Q3, qualifying 11th and 12th respectively. “I’m devastated that we weren’t able to get through,” admitted Hamilton.
The session featured two red flags, including crashes for Yuki Tsunoda and rookie Franco Colapinto. Both drivers were unharmed.
(Source: AFP)
