Piastri beat Verstappen to Emilia Romagna GP pole after crash-filled qualifying session.
(From L) Second-placed Red Bull Racing’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen, first-placed McLaren’s Australian driver Oscar Piastri and third-placed Mercedes’ British driver George Russell celebrate after the qualifying session for the 2025 Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix at the Imola autodrome in Imola, on May 17, 2025. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri grabbed pole position for Sunday’s Emilia-Romagna Formula One Grand Prix as Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda survived a spectacular high-speed crash in qualifying on Saturday.
Australian Piastri clocked a fastest lap of 1min 46.670sec to finish just 0.034sec ahead of Dutch world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull with Britain’s George Russell of Mercedes in third place on the grid.
Lando Norris of McLaren will start on the second row while the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were 11th and 12th respectively and will start on the sixth row.
Tsunoda’s car somersaulted into the barriers after only six minutes as the 25-year-old Japanese driver, who has good experience of racing at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit, lost control when he hit the kerbs at the Variante Villeneuve.
His car lifted and flew sideways before turning upside down into a single barrel roll before skewing into the barriers.
He was unhurt, but the session was red flagged to a halt as he climbed from his car and walked away.
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