Emilia Romagna GP qualifying results: Piastri takes pole as Ferrari nightmare continues

Oscar Piastri pipped Max Verstappen to pole position at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, despite a challenging run through slow-moving traffic in the final sector. George Russell will start third after moving past Lando Norris on his final Q3 run. Q1 was red-flagged with 12 minutes left on the clock and only 10 lap times on the board following a scary crash for Yuki Tsunoda. The Red Bull star was sent into a flip after losing control of his car over a kerb and hurtling through the gravel trap.

There was another red flag before the end of Q1, too. Franco Colapinto dropped a rear wheel on the grass on the exit of Turn Three, sending his Alpine car spinning across the gravel and into the wall head-on. The 20-year-old was audibly upset as he apologised for the shunt on the radio.

After the FIA cleared up a technical conundrum that left Oliver Bearman and Gabriel Bortoleto confused about their Q2 participation, McLaren were able to establish themselves as the frontrunners for pole position. However, on the final runs, chaos ensued.

Carlos Sainz put his Williams into P1 with a scorching lap, while the Aston Martin duo both climbed into the top seven on medium compound tyres, capping off a bold strategy call. This came at the expense of Ferrari, with both of their drivers eliminated in the second part of qualifying, along with home hero Kimi Antonelli.

The top three drivers were covered by less than two-tenths of a second after the first Q3 runs with Verstappen at the top of the order, but Piastri wrestled back control on his final run, setting up the best possible start on Sunday as he targets a fourth successive Grand Prix victory.

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying results in full...

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

3. George Russell (Mercedes)

4. Lando Norris (McLaren)

5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

6. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

7. Alex Albon (Williams)

8. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)

10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

11. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

12. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

13. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)

15. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

16. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)

17. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)

18. Esteban Ocon (Haas)

19. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

20. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)