Piastri starts first at Imola ahead of Verstappen

An intense qualifying session at the Imola circuit. The Australian driver set a time of 1:14.670, beating Dutchman Max Verstappen by just 34 thousandths of a second.

The current championship leader made the most of his final opportunity in Q3 to set an unbeatable time for his rivals, despite a small mistake in the final corner that could have cost him this prime position.

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Mercedes and McLaren secure strong positions

George Russell claimed third place with an alternative strategy, opting for medium tires (C5 compound) instead of the soft C6 tires used by most competitors. This decision allowed him to beat Lando Norris, who will start fourth in the second McLaren.

Fifth position went to Fernando Alonso, who once again demonstrated his talent by qualifying near the front in an Aston Martin that had shown difficulties in previous races. The Spaniard also chose medium compounds, which proved more consistent than the new soft C6 tires introduced for this race.

Williams moves forward with both drivers

Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon secured sixth and seventh positions respectively, an excellent result for Williams that confirms the British team's progress this season. Lance Stroll placed eighth in the second Aston Martin, while French rookie Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls and Pierre Gasly of Alpine completed the top ten.

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Ferrari disappoints in first Italian race

The Italian team endured a forgettable session in their first home appearance this season. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton failed to reach Q3, relegated to eleventh and twelfth positions respectively.

Both drivers reported brake system issues throughout practice sessions and couldn't improve their times on the final attempt with the fragile soft tires. Leclerc missed out on the final qualifying phase by less than a tenth.

"We never found the right rhythm. The soft tires degrade very quickly and we couldn't optimize the performance window," Leclerc admitted after the session.

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Two crashes interrupt Q1

The first qualifying phase was marked by two red flags due to serious incidents. The first involved Yuki Tsunoda, who lost control of his Red Bull at the Villeneuve chicane. The Japanese driver's car spun backwards, crashed into the barriers and flipped over, though fortunately the driver emerged unharmed.

Near the end of Q1, Franco Colapinto, making his debut this weekend with Alpine as replacement for Jack Doohan, ran onto the grass at the exit of the Tamburello complex and hit the barriers head-on. Despite the crash, the Argentine had set a time good enough to advance to Q2, ultimately qualifying fifteenth.

The Argentine may face a penalty for being released prematurely in the pit lane during the first red flag, a similar incident to what happened in Bahrain that cost Mercedes drivers a grid position penalty.

Haas's Oliver Bearman thought he had completed his final lap before the red flag caused by Colapinto, but after thorough review, stewards determined his time - which would have been enough to advance - wouldn't be validated.

Official Imola qualifying results