Max takes second spot on the grid in Imola qualifying: 'A good day for us'

Published on 17 May 2025 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen has secured second place on the grid during qualifying for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. He narrowly had to concede pole to Oscar Piastri, who was three hundredths of a second quicker. George Russell set the third-fastest time in a thrilling qualifying session that saw two red flags. Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso completed today’s top five in Imola.

“Everything was going very well,” said a satisfied Max after qualifying. “But it is hard to keep the softest compound alive over one lap. Sector one was good, but then the tyres fell away from me again. From there, the margins are tiny. George did his lap on the mediums, so maybe our tyres were too soft for this track. It was difficult for us to get the most out of it. I was happier on the mediums. But the race is on Sunday, that is when the points are awarded. That is what we need to focus on. Still, I do think today was a very good day for us.”

When asked whether he can battle the McLarens tomorrow, Max replied: “We will see. The last race was not really a fight. I hope we will pick up a bit more pace and the car becomes more stable. Hopefully we can manage our tyres a bit better.”

It is a beautiful day in Imola, the air temperature is 22 degrees, with the track temperature at 41 degrees. As Max Verstappen sets off on his first flying lap, his teammate Yuki Tsunoda brings out a red flag after a heavy crash. In turn six, the Japanese driver loses control of his car, hits the tyre barrier, and even flips over. Tsunoda is able to get out of the car by himself, apparently uninjured.

After fifteen minutes, Q1 resumes. Verstappen clocks a 1:15.175, the fastest time so far. McLaren bides its time. When Norris heads out, he slightly oversteps the limits and ends up in fifth. Piastri closes in within three tenths of Verstappen. With just seconds on the clock, another heavy crash occurs: Franco Colapinto crashes in turn three and puts his Alpine in the tyre wall. Fortunately, he too gets out unscathed. That is the end of qualifying for him, as well as for Tsunoda, Ocon, Hülkenberg, Lawson, and Bearman. The latter, along with his team, tries to plead his case with race control, but to no avail. His time is deleted because the red flag had already been waved before he crossed the finish line.

Q2 starts with a delay due to Colapinto’s crash. Once underway, Max opens with a 1:15.400. Norris goes quicker with a 1:15.261. His teammate Piastri finds another two hundredths. Surprisingly, it is Carlos Sainz who sets the fastest time with a 1:15.198. Alonso, Stroll and Gasly all manage to improve at the last moment and grab a spot in Q3. That results in a small Italian tragedy: Ferrari drivers Hamilton and Leclerc miss out on the final part of qualifying, as does Italian driver Antonelli. It is also game over for Bortoleto, while Colapinto could not run due to his earlier crash.

Verstappen is immediately quick in Q3. While Piastri and Norris initially occupy the top two, the Dutchman puts in a 1:14.722, fastest for the time being. That is five hundredths quicker than Piastri and nearly two tenths ahead of Norris. After a short lull, the drivers return to the track with three minutes left on the clock. Notably, Russell and both Aston Martins opt for mediums, while the others go for softs again. Piastri manages to squeeze out an impressive lap with a 1:14.670. Verstappen starts his second run strong with a purple first sector, but loses time in the middle part. His 1:14.704 is just not enough, he falls short of Piastri by three hundredths. Russell and Norris will line up on the second row tomorrow, with Alonso rounding out the top five.

Contest Imola GP: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing 2025 cap!

Results qualifying Emilia-romagna: