Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – Qualifications: Verstappen emerges victorious from hell

For the first time this season, the new cars hit the track under rainy conditions during the first practice session of the weekend. As a result, the drivers didn’t have a real chance to train for this qualifying session, which took place on a dry track.

Q1: Leclerc confirms

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s Mercedes were the first cars to take to the track on this treacherous circuit. Both English drivers completed a lap on intermediate tires before stopping to switch to dry compounds. However, the two silver arrows did not have the opportunity to continue due to the interruption of Q1. Indeed, in the remaining twelve minutes, the right rear brake of Alexander Albon’s Williams caught fire and eventually exploded, leaving debris all over the track, resulting in the first of many red flags. At the halfway point of the session, Carlos Sainz set the fastest lap, 30 milliseconds ahead of Max Verstappen and three tenths ahead of his teammate, Charles Leclerc.

It is the turn of the Monégasque to set the best time of this first qualifying session. Verstappen, in second place, was sandwiched between the two Ferraris. It is worth noting the very impressive performance of Zhou at the wheel of his Alfa Romeo, who managed to secure fourth position ahead of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull, while his more experienced teammate, Valtteri Bottas, could only manage thirteenth place.

However, the qualifying session was difficult for our French drivers as they didn’t make it to Q2. Due to a gearbox issue, Esteban Ocon couldn’t achieve a good lap time. On the other hand, Pierre Gasly was complaining about a severe lack of performance from his AlphaTauri.

List of eliminated drivers: Alexander Albon (20th) / Nicholas Latifi (19th) / Esteban Ocon (18th) / Pierre Gasly (17th) / Yuki Tsunoda (16th)

Q2: The catastrophe for Mercedes

At the beginning of this Q2, Verstappen set the best time on the leaderboard. Disaster for Sainz and Ferrari. After only a few minutes of the session, the Spaniard crashed into the barriers of the last corner during his second attempt. Not the best way to celebrate his contract renewal announced a few days earlier.

This accident caused a new red flag, which coincided with the return of the rain. This trapped the drivers outside the top 10, as the track conditions prevented them from improving their time. Guanyu Zhou, who had impressed in Q1, was therefore eliminated in Q2, while this weekend offered a real opportunity for the Chinese driver to break into the top 10.

While he had narrowly avoided elimination in Q1, Hamilton could only manage a thirteenth-place finish. His teammate, Russell, only placed eleventh. It is the first time in ten years that no Mercedes has qualified for Q3. The last time this happened was at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2012. A ten-year streak broken due to the weak performance of the car. While things weren’t going well for Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel managed to make it into Q3, sending an Aston Martin into the top 10 for the first time this season. At the end of the session, a few drivers like Vettel or Leclerc still decided to go out and test the weather conditions in preparation for Q3.

List of eliminated drivers: Lance Stroll (15th) / Guanyu Zhou (14th) / Lewis Hamilton (13th) / Mick Schumacher (12th) / George Russell (11th)

Q3: Verstappen on pole position.

At the start of the session, Verstappen had a little scare coming out of the pits. He had a small slip at the entrance of the third turn, causing him to encounter the gravel. Just like in Q1 and Q2, this third and final qualifying session was interrupted by a red flag. This was due to Kevin Magnussen going off track between the 9th and 10th turns of the circuit. Fortunately for Haas, the Danish driver did not hit the barriers and was able to return to the track a few minutes later.

While Verstappen set the fastest time ahead of Leclerc’s Ferrari, a mechanical issue grounded Bottas’ Alfa Romeo, causing yet another red flag, which prevented the Monegasque from finishing his attempt. Ultimately, a fifth and final red flag ended this session following Norris’ off-track excursion. This allowed the Dutchman to secure the pole position. He qualifies ahead of Leclerc and Norris. Magnussen and Alonso complete the top 5.

Qualifications Table: