The exhilarating qualifying session at the F1 Emilia Romana Grand Prix featured two red flags and plenty of drama.
Here are our biggest winners and losers from the confused and unpredictable qualifications at Imola…
Winner – Max Verstappen
It may seem tough not to put Oscar Piastri here, but given McLaren is competitive over the weekend, the Australian pole position was not a shock at all.
However, considering Max Verstappen and Red Bull were only 24 hours ago, Saturday’s qualifying marked a major shift in fortunes as the four-time world champions produced another sublime rap to maximize his results.
Verstappen only missed what the fourth pole of the season was 0.034 seconds, leaving him in a position to challenge for an unlikely victory.
Loser – Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton
An absolute disaster in the soil of Ferrari’s home as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton fall into a disastrous double Q2 elimination.
Leclerc and Hamilton only start on the grid at Imola in front of the predictors, but were ultimately disappointed. Despite bringing an upgrade, the SF25 looked really just a handful of hardships with both drivers this weekend.
The team is suffering at the most embarrassing moments of the year, with great pressure and scrutiny surrounding Ferrari heading towards this weekend.
Winner – Aston Martin
The surprise in the qualifying round was the performance of the Aston Martin team.
Aston Martin has brought a major upgrade to the AMR25 at Imola and appears to be working well with qualifying evidence, with Fernando Alonso having secured the best team out of the season in fifth place.
Teammate Lancestrol scored the top 10 with Aston Martin profits in eighth place, giving the Silverstone-based team a chance to boost morale and potentially turn the page with a gruesome start to 2025.
Fernando Alonso
Loser – Rand Norris
Formula 1 Championship leader Piastri continued his purple-shaped patch by delivering when grabbing another pole was important, but McLaren’s teammate Rand Norris couldn’t do the same.
Norris had to settle for the fourth on the grid after being overtaken by Verstappen’s Red Bull and Mercedes’ George Russell.
He looks at a 16-point deficit on Piastri, which will hurt Norris. Norris continues to make mistakes at the moment of high pressure.
Winner – Williams
Another impressive performance in qualifying from Williams is Carlos Sein and Alex Albon in sixth and seventh place on the Imola Grid, respectively.
Williams translated his promising pace during practice into a good starting position. The team aims to convert into a three-season double point finish.
Loser – Horned Yuki
The Zonodar left the horror crash in qualifying during a chaotic, truncated Q1.
Tsunoda lost control of Red Bull at Villeneuve Chicanet, then drastically repeated his car into a roll, hitting the barrier and catching fencing with a huge shunt.
Thankfully, Tsunoda was unharmed in a horrifying accident, but the Japanese racer will be entrusted to his very back for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Winner – Isaac Hajar
Isack Hadjar
Isack Hadjar continues to star for the Racing Bulls as he reached the third quarter and set the ninth fastest time.
The 20-year-old French rookie continues to lead the charges of Red Bull’s sister team, surpassing more experienced teammate Liam Lawson once again.
Hadjar’s performance will focus on Red Bull, noting that Tsunoda is struggling to ride the top of the RB21.
Loser – Some Antonelli
Italian fans rarely cheered on Saturday as Bologna native Kimi Antoneli struggled with a very disappointing qualifying round on his home track.
Antonelli hoped to try his “Dream” debut towards the weekend, but tied for Sunday’s Grand Prix from 13th, but teammate Russell placed 10th in third place, highlighting what Mercedes has the ability to do.
Winner – Pierre Guthry
In alpine turbulent seasons, Pierre Guthrie represents a major pillar of consistency. He was one of the outstanding performers this season as he takes responsibility for Alpine while his teammates are chopping and changing.
The French were excited to finish FP2 P3. He knew that it was nearly impossible to replicate such an outcome to be eligible, but closing the top 10 showed an excellent effort.
Guthrie was narrowly piped by Hajar, but otherwise extracted the best possible outcome for Alpine on this day.
Loser – Franco Corpent
Franco Frankundoto
It was Alpine’s qualifying debut that he forgot Franco Colapinto. He has made a massive crash on his first competitive outing for the French team since becoming parachute to replace Jacques Dehan.
Corapinto was unharmed after a trip to the medical centre for a preventive check, but was unable to participate in the second quarter after his big shunt at the end of the first quarter.
To rub salt into the wound, Corapinto was hit by a number one grid penalty for being released into the pit lane before the session officially resumed following the previous red flag.
Penny for Doohan’s idea…