Piastri Wins Pole in Emilia-Romagna, Ferrari Endures Hellish Qualifying, Red Bull's Scare
Ferrari encounters qualifying despair, Red Bull accident sparks fear on the track
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Championship leader Oscar Piastri grabs pole position for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. A disastrous qualifying for Ferrari and home hope, Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), sees Piastri lock in the top spot for Sunday's race (3:00 PM EST). World champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and George Russell (Mercedes) finish second and third, respectively.
"We're utterly disappointed, and the fans are left livid. We're just not firing on all cylinders," says Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, facing eleventh and twelfth starting positions for Leclerc and Hamilton. "It's like we've been hit by a damned storm," concludes the "Gazzetta dello Sport." piastri-wins-pole-in-emilia-romagna
"Lucky Stars Smiling Down"
Piastri captures his third pole position of the season – all achieved this year. Teammate Lando Norris (England) settles for fourth. "Lucky stars smiling down, almost lost it there in the last corner, but managed to squeeze it through," Piastri radios to the box.
It's a bitter pill for Monaco's Charles Leclerc, England's Lewis Hamilton, and hometown favorite Antonelli. All three fail to advance to the final phase of qualifying. Leclerc starts from eleventh, followed by Hamilton and Antonelli. Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) reluctantly accepts the 17th position, making it challenging for the German to score points.
Tsunoda's Trouble After Mishap
Yuki Tsunoda causes a scare with an off-track spin and rollover crash during the initial stages of qualifying at the hands of a driving error. Apologizing to his team for their unnecessary work, Tsunoda narrowly escapes unscathed. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko berates Tsunoda's repeated mistakes, with the accident costing the team precious time and resources. Tsunoda, who replaced the hastily ousted Liam Lawson at the beginning of the year, must now look to regain his momentum.
Tsunoda's teammate Max Verstappen sets his sights on Sunday's race. "I feel like we've uncovered some speed. The car seems more stable now," Verstappen remarks confidently. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko expresses confidence in Verstappen, stating that "Max has faith in the machine."
"In the heart-racing world of Formula 1, championship leader Oscar Piastri bags the pole position for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, outperforming Red Bull's Max Verstappen and George Russell in grand-prix auto-racing."
"Meanwhile, Ferrari endures a challenging qualifying, threatening their chances in Sunday's race. Team principal Fred Vasseur laments, 'We're just not firing on all cylinders,' as drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton prepare to start from eleventh and twelfth positions."
