Breaking:F1 2025 Imola Grand Prix starting grid with full penalties app… read more
F1 2025 Imola Grand Prix starting grid with full penalties app… read more
The official starting grid for the 2025 Formula 1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola has been confirmed, incorporating all qualifying results and any penalties issued. Oscar Piastri delivered an exceptional performance in qualifying on Saturday, securing his first pole position of the season for McLaren with a time of 1:14.670. The young Australian will share the front row with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who narrowly missed out on pole by just 0.034 seconds.
Mercedes’ George Russell impressed in qualifying and managed to slot himself into third position, pushing McLaren’s Lando Norris down to fourth. Norris had been expected to challenge Piastri and Verstappen more closely but had to settle for the second row, despite McLaren showing strong pace throughout the weekend.
Veteran Fernando Alonso showed he’s still got what it takes by qualifying fifth for Aston Martin, ahead of the revitalized Williams pair. Carlos Sainz, who made a surprising move to Williams this season, claimed sixth, with teammate Alex Albon close behind in seventh. Lance Stroll, driving the second Aston Martin, will start eighth.
Rounding out the top ten are Racing Bulls’ rookie Isack Hadjar and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, both putting in solid efforts during qualifying.
Ferrari suffered a disappointing Saturday at their home race. Neither Charles Leclerc nor Lewis Hamilton made it to Q3, meaning they’ll start outside the top ten. Leclerc will start 11th, followed closely by Hamilton in 12th, dealing a blow to the hopes of the Tifosi in the grandstands.
Further down the grid, Mercedes’ young talent Kimi Antonelli qualified 13th, while Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto secured 14th. Liam Lawson in the second Racing Bulls car was knocked out in Q1 and will line up 15th.
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who was recently promoted to a full-time seat, had a dramatic session. He crashed in Q1 and, despite making it to Q2, received a one-place grid penalty for an unsafe release from the garage during qualifying. He’ll start 16th as a result of the infraction.
The back of the grid sees a mix of expected and surprising names. Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg qualified 17th, while Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman will start 18th and 19th respectively. Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, who suffered a heavy crash in Q1, was unable to set a time and did not officially qualify. However, following a request from Red Bull, stewards have allowed him to start the race from 20th position.
2025 Imola Grand Prix Starting Grid (Post-Penalties)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine)*
- Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
- Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- Ollie Bearman (Haas)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)*
(*Colapinto received a one-place penalty; Tsunoda granted special permission to start after DNQ)
Race Start Times by Region
The 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola is set to begin at 3:00 PM local time (CEST) on Sunday, May 18. Fans around the globe can catch the race at the following local times:
- UK (BST): 2:00 PM
- USA (EDT): 9:00 AM
- USA (CDT): 8:00 AM
- USA (PDT): 6:00 AM
- Australia (AEST): 11:00 PM
- India (IST): 6:30 PM
- Japan (JST): 10:00 PM
- Brazil (BRT): 10:00 AM
- South Africa (SAST): 3:00 PM
- China (CST): 9:00 PM
- Turkey (EEST): 4:00 PM
- Mexico (CST): 7:00 AM
How to Watch the Imola Grand Prix Live
F1 coverage varies depending on your country or region. Here’s how you can tune in:
- UK: Sky Sports F1
- USA: ESPN, ESPN Deportes
- Italy: Sky Italia
- Australia: Fox Sports, Kayo, Network Ten
- Canada: TSN, RDS
- Germany: Sky Deutschland
- France: Canal+
- Japan: DAZN, Fuji TV
- Brazil: Bandeirantes, Bandsports
- Mexico: Fox Sports
- Middle East & Africa: beIN SPORTS, SuperSport
For all F1 fans, the Imola Grand Prix promises high drama with tight competition at the front and fierce battles throughout the midfield. With Piastri on pole, Verstappen in pursuit, and Ferrari needing to recover, Sunday’s race is shaping up to be one of the most exciting of the season so far.
