Disappointing Qualifying for Ferrari at the Emilia-Romagna GP
Ferrari encounters qualifying distress, Red Bull collision triggers fearful incident
Get ready for an action-packed race! After a shocking qualifying session, championship leader Oscar Piastri is poised for victory in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. Unfortunately, Ferrari’s quest for pole position took a nose-dive, with Australian Piastri sitting pretty in pole position for Sunday’s race (3:00 PM/RTL, RTL+, and Sky). The Scuderia is left grappling with yet another disappointing performance.
Stunning Oscar Piastri locked in pole position for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. It was a disastrous qualifying for Ferrari and hometown favorite Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes). The Aussie in the McLaren nabbed the best starting position for the race ahead (Sunday, 3:00 PM). World champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and George Russell (Mercedes) followed closely in second and third places.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur expressed his frustration, "We are massively disappointed for ourselves and the tifosi. We haven't delivered, we are absolutely frustrated. We feel like we're just not getting it right." The team found themselves in eleventh and twelfth starting positions for Leclerc and Hamilton, leaving them reeling from the setback. Leclerc exclaimed, "My God, my God, my God," while the "Gazzetta dello Sport" labeled it as "A nightmare for Ferrari."
"Just Enough"
For Piastri, this marks his third pole position this season. His teammate Lando Norris (England) finished a respectable fourth. "That was a brutal racing session, I thought I'd lost it in the last corner, luckily it was enough," Piastri radioed into the pits.
Monaco’s Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Bologna’s Antonelli all suffered a bitter disappointment. The trio failed to make it to the third phase of qualifying. Leclerc started in eleventh, followed by Hamilton and Antonelli. Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) faces an uphill battle with his seventeenth-place start, making point scorings a challenge.
Tsunoda Troubles after Crash
Yuki Tsunoda caused a scare when he lost control of his Red Bull in the first part of qualifying due to a driving error, resulting in a spectacular crash. Tsunoda apologized for the chaos he caused, labeling it “completely unnecessary work.” Red Bull's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko criticized Tsunoda for his string of errors, stating that they had cost the team a pretty penny. Remarkably, Tsunoda escaped unharmed, but cleanup efforts caused significant delays.
Tsunoda's teammate Max Verstappen is determined to make amends on Sunday. "I hope we've found some pace. The car feels a little more stable," said the Dutchman. Marko remains confident, stating, "I'm sure Max is packing a lot of confidence in the car."
Sources: ntv.de, ter/sid
- Formula 1
- Ferrari
- Red Bull Racing
Enrichment Data: Ferrari experienced a disastrous qualifying session at the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The causes of the struggles included difficulties in getting the new tyres up to speed, general lack of performance in the car, and session disruptions. These issues hampered their pursuit of pole position, resulting in both drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, being eliminated in Q2. This setback was particularly disappointing given Ferrari's historical competitiveness at the Imola circuit.
The disappointing qualifying results for Ferrari at the Emilia-Romagna GP have put them in an unfavorable starting position, with Leclerc and Hamilton starting in eleventh and twelfth places, respectively. This race weekend promises exciting auto-racing as championship leader Oscar Piastri sits in pole position, ahead of Max Verstappen in second and George Russell in third for the Formula 1 race. Despite the setback, Red Bull Racing remains optimistic with Verstappen determined to make amends on Sunday.
