Uncovered: Data reveals the exact moment Oscar Piastri outqualified Max Verstappen

Oscar Piastri brought an end to Max Verstappen’s streak of pole positions in Imola, while his main championship rival, Lando Norris, could manage no better than fourth.

Also worth noting is George Russell, whose third-place lap was set on medium tyres! Let’s dive into the telemetry to unpack the key details that made all the difference on such a technical circuit.

Oscar Piastri ends Max Verstappen’s pole streak

The final sector of Oscar Piastri’s flying lap in Q3 for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was so sketchy that the McLaren driver was convinced it had cost him pole position — but the Aussie will nevertheless lead the field off the line on Sunday.

At a venue like Imola, that’s a massive advantage. Overtaking here is notoriously difficult, with the only realistic chance coming at Turn 1 following the DRS zone.

Another factor working in Piastri’s favour is McLaren’s exceptional race pace in clean air, arguably unmatched this season — making it unlikely anyone will be able to challenge him once he leads.

Even more remarkable is the fact Max Verstappen was on course for pole right up until Turn 18, the penultimate corner.

So, how did Piastri pull it off?

Max gained an early advantage — 0.2s before Turn 1 — thanks to a significant top-speed differential. This trend was already evident in FP2, where Red Bull’s recent upgrade package, aimed at reducing drag, proved successful.

On the flip side, the MCL39 remains one of the weakest cars on the grid when it comes to straight-line speed.

Verstappen nailed Turn 1 and maintained his edge throughout the first sector. But things began to unravel at Turn 9, Piratella, where a minor error saw him run too wide over the kerbs. According to the data, he effectively wiped out his entire advantage in that one corner.

Imola, with its punishing kerbs and gravel-lined runoffs, is the definition of an old-school circuit — it simply doesn’t forgive even the smallest mistake.

The Acque Minerali and Variante Alta sequences, highly technical corners that suit McLaren’s strengths, were decisively in Piastri’s favour. But the drama wasn’t over yet: Through Turns 17 and 18, Max clawed the advantage back and momentarily looked set to steal pole.

However, a stronger exit from Turn 18 gave Piastri just enough to edge back in front. McLaren’s superior tyre management played a crucial role here, allowing him to carry that grip where it mattered most.

Just how close it was is clear in the ideal lap time chart — Verstappen and Piastri were virtually neck-and-neck.

More F1 analysis from the Emilia Romagna GP:

👉 Winners and losers from the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

New C6 tyre compound sparks debate

One of the biggest talking points after qualifying was Pirelli’s new C6 compound — the softest in the range, introduced specifically for Imola. Up until FP3, the tyre appeared promising. But come qualifying, its limitations were clear.

The loads generated by current F1 cars are simply too high for the C6’s narrow operating window. After just one sector, performance begins to drop — something that became painfully obvious when Aston Martin shocked Ferrari by out-qualifying both their drivers on mediums, eliminating them in Q2.

Mercedes then played the same hand, sending Russell out on mediums for his final Q3 run and it worked brilliantly. Russell managed to beat Norris in what is arguably a slightly slower car.

Norris fell short, but not due to tyres alone.

While tyre strategy did play its part, Norris’s own driving was ultimately what cost him a front-row start.

The McLaren man initially gained ground after the first chicane, capitalising on Russell’s twitchy front end. But in the following complex, Turns 5 and 6, the Mercedes driver was clearly stronger, and from that point on, Russell steadily extended his margin.

In sector three, Norris responded well, particularly through Turns 14 and 15, where he posted the best time of anyone. But earlier mistakes had already set him too far back. He’ll start Sunday’s race from P4.

Norris’s shot at the top step of the podium will hinge on whether he can swiftly dispatch Verstappen and Russell ahead. If Piastri keeps the lead into Turn 1, catching him in clear air will be a tall order indeed.

Still, Imola has served up great battles in the past, and anything is possible.

Like last year, a one-stop race is highly probable. That’s largely down to two factors: teams’ ability to manage tyre degradation and the circuit’s punishingly long pit stop delta — nearly 28 seconds lost, the most of any race on the calendar.

In other words: track position will be everything.

Read next: Data revealed: Can Red Bull Racing’s Imola upgrades bring the heat to McLaren?