Breaking: Chaos in Imola as Lewis Hamilton suffers in DOUBLE F…read more
Chaos in Imola as Lewis Hamilton suffers in DOUBLE F…read more
Chaos reigned at Imola on Saturday as qualifying for the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix delivered a string of shocks, red flags and last-gasp heartbreak—none bigger than Ferrari’s double exit in Q2 on home soil.
The tifosi packed into the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari arrived expecting their scarlet cars to fight for pole, but instead watched in disbelief as both Charles Leclerc and newly-minted Ferrari recruit Lewis Hamilton were dumped out before the top-ten shoot-out even began. A bold gamble by Aston Martin swung the axe. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll rolled the dice on the medium compound in the second segment, banking on track evolution and clear air. The strategy paid off handsomely: Alonso vaulted to fifth and Stroll to eighth, pushing the red cars down the order just as the chequered flag fell. Leclerc missed the cut by mere hundredths, with Hamilton fractionally slower—an ignominious outcome that silenced grandstands painted red.
While Ferrari licked its wounds, the fight for pole produced a thriller. Rookie sensation Oscar Piastri delivered a stunning 1:14.670 in his McLaren, edging championship leader Max Verstappen by only 0.034 seconds. The Australian’s lap was inch-perfect through the Variante Alta and the Rivazza sweeps, denying Verstappen another record-setting pole and reminding the paddock that McLaren’s resurgence is no flash in the pan. George Russell hustled his Mercedes to third, a tenth off pole, while Lando Norris salvaged fourth after a scruffy final sector that cost him a front-row berth.
Behind the headline acts, Williams produced a jaw-dropping display. Carlos Sainz, flourishing since his surprise switch from Ferrari, clocked the sixth-fastest time, with team-mate Alex Albon close behind in seventh. Their top-eight lock-out marks Williams’ best qualifying result in over a decade, testament to the Grove squad’s winter rebuild and a slippery FW47 perfectly suited to Imola’s fast changes of direction.
Qualifying, however, was punctuated by two heavy crashes and a mountain of steward drama. Early in Q1, Yuki Tsunoda lost the rear of his Red Bull through Variante Villeneuve, smacking the barriers and triggering a red flag. The Japanese driver climbed out unhurt, but the session stoppage heaped extra pressure on drivers still chasing banker laps. Later, Franco Colapinto became the second victim of Imola’s unforgiving layout. The Alpine driver was released from the garage before the FIA had confirmed the restart time following Tsunoda’s accident—a procedural mis-step likely to earn a grid penalty. Moments after rejoining the track, Colapinto slammed the wall at Piratella, destroying his A525 and instantly halting Q2 with seconds remaining. The Argentine clambered clear but left his mechanics a long night of carbon-fibre surgery.
The red-flag chaos also tangled Haas rookie Ollie Bearman. His final Q1 lap, completed under the initial stoppage, was erased after stewards pored over CCTV frame by frame, ruling he crossed the line a heartbeat too late. George Russell, penalised for a similar infringement last season, sympathised even as he celebrated third on the grid.
When the dust settled, the provisional top ten read: Piastri, Verstappen, Russell, Norris, Alonso, Sainz, Albon, Stroll, Isack Hadjar—impressive again for Racing Bulls—and Pierre Gasly in the repaired Alpine.
Sunday’s race now promises a strategic cauldron: Ferrari must slice through traffic to salvage pride, Aston Martin must convert tyre bravado into points, and Verstappen will bare fangs at a first-time pole-sitter determined to make history. On a weekend already overflowing with drama, Imola may yet have more twists to reveal.
