Based on the results of the three free practice sessions, we were looking forward to an exciting qualifying session in Imola, and in the end we were not disappointed.
After the first fast laps of Q1, we could read the names of Lando Norris, Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc in the lead, then Verstappen, who had been struggling all weekend, came and took the lead. It didn't last long... In the meantime, the tendency of piling up mistakes on mistakes continued, we could still see a lot of gravel visits, falls and rises, even from the biggest ones. In the end, Verstappen, Leclerc, and, surprisingly, Nico Hülkenberg still managed to make it into the top three. The two Stakes, Logan Sargeant, Kevin Magnussen, and, surprisingly, Fernando Alonso were among the eliminated.
In Q2, only the two Mercedes were on the track for a long time, then after the first attempts, Verstappen showed up with a middle sector that shocked the field. But there are no miracles in motorsport, based on the picture and the struggle of the past free practice sessions, Red Bull did not necessarily seem to be the favorite. Leclerc came to prove this, and even Yuki Tsunoda flashed something that proved to be at least competitive compared to Verstappen. This is proven by the fact that Daniel Ricciardo, in the other Racing Bulls car, knocked out Sergio Perez, but Lance Stroll, Alexander Albon, and the two Alpines were also forced to say goodbye.
Q3 started with a serious vibration, Red Bull's success was not at all self-evident. After the first shots, Verstappen managed to take the lead with a not very strong lap, but Norris was able to get terribly close to him. Leclerc was not far away either, but McLaren's young British driver had the opportunity to catch the Dutchman. In the end, it was not him, but almost his teammate, Oscar Piastri, who managed to do it... Max Verstappen did collect the pole position ahead of him and Lando Norris, but this race is not over. Really not! Tomorrow is a serious Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
