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The Imola GP's Friday qualifying saw Max Verstappen clinch his first pole position of the season. The qualifying session was held in mixed conditions and saw multiple red flag stoppages with cars going off the track or crashing out. Some of the notable drivers that caused the red flags were Carlos Sainz in Q2, and Kevin Magnussen and Lando Norris in Q3.
In a session that got extended because of multiple red flags, here's what happened.
Imola GP Friday Qualifying: Here's what happened!
#1 Max Verstappen beats Charles Leclerc as Carlos Sainz crashes out in Q2
In a session that featured changing conditions and multiple red flag stoppages, it was all about keeping a cool head, being in the right place at the right time, and most importantly, not making a mistake!
On that last lap that mattered in Q3, Max Verstappen went seven-tenths quicker despite lifting off in the final sector. On the other hand, Charles Leclerc made a mistake in S2 and lost his lap. The pole at Imola GP is the first pole for Verstappen this season and should give confidence to the team and the driver that they can compete with Ferrari.
Talking about the other drivers from Ferrari and Red Bull, Carlos Sainz crashed out in Q2. He will start the sprint in 10th while Sergio Perez made a mistake on his fast lap in Q3 and will start the sprint in 7th.
#2 Both the Mercedes drivers are eliminated in Q2
In what is a story of things going from bad to worse, both the Mercedes drivers were eliminated in Q2. Although Carlos Sainz's crash that caused the red flag played a role, but even before that it became evident that Mercedes did not have the pace to do much better.
Lewis Hamilton just scraped through into Q2 by four-thousandths of a second and escaped elimination in Q1. George Russell will start the sprint in 11th while Lewis Hamilton will start in 13th.
#3 Lando Norris and Kevin Magnussen shine in qualifying
Both McLaren and Haas announced their return to form this weekend with scintillating performances by both Lando Norris and Kevin Magnussen. Ironically, both Norris and Magnussen brought out red flags during qualifying and even then in between that, both were able to set lap times that were 3rd and 4th fastest.
Magnussen looked fast all along at the Imola GP, be it in qualifying or in FP1 but putting together a lap that was better than the Alpine and a Red Bull was quite commendable. Norris, on the other hand, looked like the form driver at McLaren from the start of qualifying and then went from strength to strength to pick his best qualifying session of the season.
#4 Alpine endures another bittersweet result in the Imola GP
It is fair to say that Alpine is becoming more and more like the Red Bull of the midfield. The car has speed, very good speed, but has poor reliability. It was this lack of reliability that cost Fernando Alonso in the second and third races of the season.
This time around though, the curse struck Esteban Ocon, who suffered from a gearbox issue in Q1 and then had to endure a disqualification from the session. Alonso, on the other hand, was able to qualify in 5th for the sprint and will be hoping to make the most of this opportunity.
#5 Sebastian Vettel drags his Aston Martin to Q3 in the Imola GP
Sebastian Vettel did what seemed impossible to do this season as he dragged the Aston Martin into Q3 at the Imola GP. The German driver had shown impressive pace in the mixed conditions and it did appear that he was destined to do something brilliant (if you had read our predictions article you would have known).
While his teammate Lance Stroll was eliminated in Q2, Vettel made sure he nailed the first lap of the session before the rain came in. The four-time world champion will start the sprint in 8th position.
