Oscar Piastri claimed pole position in a dramatic F1 qualifying session for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton suffered an early exit in his first home race for Ferrari and Yuki Tsunoda walked away from a major crash.
Piastri delivered a flawless lap when it mattered to beat Max Verstappen’s time by just 0.034 seconds, after the Dutchman surged to the top of the charts in pursuit of a third successive pole.
Lando Norris could manage only fourth for McLaren – over three tenths off the pole pace – after being edged out at the last by George Russell, who will start from third for Mercedes.
Hamilton had expressed excitement and expectation ahead of his first home race weekend as a Ferrari driver, but his Saturday ended in bitter disappointment after he was knocked out in the second part of qualifying.
Follow live coverage of the Emilia Romagna GP with The Independent
When is the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
All times BST
Sunday 18 May
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom – and ESPN in the United States. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 12:30pm (BST).
Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action in Imola on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab an F1
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help.
F1 driver standings
1. Oscar Piastri – 131 points
2. Lando Norris – 115 points
3. Max Verstappen – 99 points
4. George Russell – 93 points
5. Charles Leclerc – 53 points
6. Kimi Antonelli – 48 points
7. Lewis Hamilton – 41 points
8. Alex Albon – 30 points
9. Esteban Ocon – 14 points
10. Lance Stroll – 14 points
11. Yuki Tsunoda – 9 points
12. Pierre Gasly – 7 points
13. Carlos Sainz – 7 points
14. Nico Hulkenberg – 6 points
15. Ollie Bearman – 6 points
16. Isack Hadjar – 5 points
17. Fernando Alonso – 0 points
18. Liam Lawson – 0 points
19. Jack Doohan – 0 points
20. Gabriel Bortoleto – 0 points
F1 constructor standings
1. McLaren – 246 points
2. Mercedes – 141 points
3. Red Bull – 105 points
4. Ferrari – 94 points
5. Williams – 37 points
6. Haas – 20 points
7. Aston Martin – 14 points
8. Racing Bulls – 8 points
9. Alpine – 7 points
10. Sauber – 6 points
2025 F1 CALENDAR IN FULL:
ROUND 7 – EMILIA ROMAGNA
Imola Circuit – 16-18 May
ROUND 8 – MONACO
Circuit de Monaco – 23-25 May
ROUND 9 – SPAIN
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – 30 May-1 June
ROUND 10 – CANADA
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal – 13-15 June
ROUND 11 – AUSTRIA
Red Bull Ring, Spielberg – 27-29 June
ROUND 12 – GREAT BRITAIN
Silverstone Circuit – 4-6 July
ROUND 13 – BELGIUM (sprint weekend)
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps – 25-27 July
ROUND 14 – HUNGARY
Hungaroring, Budapest – 1-3 August
ROUND 15 – NETHERLANDS
Circuit Zandvoort – 29-31 August
ROUND 16 – ITALY
Monza Circuit – 5-7 September
ROUND 17 – AZERBAIJAN
Baku City Circuit – 19-21 September
ROUND 18 – SINGAPORE
Marina Bay Street Circuit – 3-5 October
ROUND 19 – UNITED STATES (sprint weekend)
Circuit of the Americas, Austin – 17-19 October
ROUND 20 – MEXICO
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City – 24-26 October
ROUND 21 – BRAZIL (sprint weekend)
Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo – 7-9 November
ROUND 22 – LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas Street Circuit – 20-22 November
ROUND 23 – QATAR (sprint weekend)
Lusail International Circuit, Lusail – 28-30 November
ROUND 24 – ABU DHABI
Yas Marina Circuit – 5-7 December
