Grand Prix qualifying results: Hamilton takes pole in Imola F1
Lewis Hamilton took his 99th Formula 1 pole position for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola for Mercedes on Saturday, the second round of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship season.
Watch: Starting Grid for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
Hamilton will start ahead of Red Bull's Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen after the one-hour qualifying session, which is split into three segments with five cars each being knocked out in Q1 and Q2 before the top-10 shootout of Q3.
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying results: Hamilton on pole from Perez
Cla | Driver | Chassis | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Lewis Hamilton
|
Mercedes | 1'14.411 | |
2 |
Sergio Perez
|
Red Bull | 1'14.446 | 0.035 |
3 |
Max Verstappen
|
Red Bull | 1'14.498 | 0.087 |
4 |
Charles Leclerc
|
Ferrari | 1'14.740 | 0.329 |
5 |
Pierre Gasly
|
AlphaTauri | 1'14.790 | 0.379 |
6 |
Daniel Ricciardo
|
McLaren | 1'14.826 | 0.415 |
7 |
Lando Norris
|
McLaren | 1'14.875 | 0.464 |
8 |
Valtteri Bottas
|
Mercedes | 1'14.898 | 0.487 |
9 |
Esteban Ocon
|
Alpine | 1'15.210 | 0.799 |
10 |
Lance Stroll
|
Aston Martin | ||
11 |
Carlos Sainz Jr.
|
Ferrari | 1'15.199 | 0.788 |
12 |
George Russell
|
Williams | 1'15.261 | 0.850 |
13 |
Sebastian Vettel
|
Aston Martin | 1'15.394 | 0.983 |
14 |
Nicholas Latifi
|
Williams | 1'15.593 | 1.182 |
15 |
Fernando Alonso
|
Alpine | 1'15.593 | 1.182 |
16 |
Kimi Raikkonen
|
Alfa Romeo | 1'15.974 | 1.563 |
17 |
Antonio Giovinazzi
|
Alfa Romeo | 1'16.122 | 1.711 |
18 |
Mick Schumacher
|
Haas | 1'16.279 | 1.868 |
19 |
Nikita Mazepin
|
Haas | 1'16.797 | 2.386 |
20 |
Yuki Tsunoda
|
AlphaTauri | ||
View full results |
What happened in Q1?
In the first session, when all cars were on track together, Lance Stroll set the early pace for Aston Martin at 1m16.082s but an early red flag was required for Yuki Tsunoda, who piled his AlphaTauri backwards into the tyrewall at Variante Alta.
The session restarted with 12 minutes remaining on the clock, with 15 cars yet to set a time. Verstappen took over at the top with 1m15.109s but Bottas dipped into the 1m14s bracket with 1m14.926s and then 1m14.672s on his second push lap, with Hamilton making it a Merc 1-2.
Falling at the first hurdle were the Alfa Romeos of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, and the Haas duo of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin (who caused an angry Giovinazzi to abort his final run), along with the sidelined Tsuonda.
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Q1 results: Bottas fastest from Hamilton
Cla | Driver | Laps | Time | Gap | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Valtteri Bottas
|
9 | 1'14.672 | ||
2 |
Lewis Hamilton
|
10 | 1'14.823 | 0.151 | |
3 |
Lando Norris
|
6 | 1'15.009 | 0.337 | |
4 |
Max Verstappen
|
6 | 1'15.109 | 0.437 | |
5 |
Esteban Ocon
|
8 | 1'15.385 | 0.713 | |
6 |
Sergio Perez
|
6 | 1'15.395 | 0.723 | |
7 |
Carlos Sainz Jr.
|
10 | 1'15.406 | 0.734 | |
8 |
Charles Leclerc
|
7 | 1'15.413 | 0.741 | |
9 |
Sebastian Vettel
|
8 | 1'15.459 | 0.787 | |
10 |
Lance Stroll
|
8 | 1'15.522 | 0.850 | |
11 |
Pierre Gasly
|
7 | 1'15.548 | 0.876 | |
12 |
Nicholas Latifi
|
8 | 1'15.653 | 0.981 | |
13 |
Daniel Ricciardo
|
9 | 1'15.669 | 0.997 | |
14 |
George Russell
|
10 | 1'15.826 | 1.154 | |
15 |
Fernando Alonso
|
8 | 1'15.832 | 1.160 | |
16 |
Kimi Raikkonen
|
10 | 1'15.974 | 1.302 | |
17 |
Antonio Giovinazzi
|
9 | 1'16.122 | 1.450 | |
18 |
Mick Schumacher
|
12 | 1'16.279 | 1.607 | |
19 |
Nikita Mazepin
|
12 | 1'16.797 | 2.125 | |
20 |
Yuki Tsunoda
|
2 | |||
View full results |
What happened in Q2?
In Q2, the pole position-hunting protagonists ran on the medium tyre – as each car will start on the rubber used in this session. On the first runs, Hamilton set the benchmark at 1m14.817s, 0.067s quicker than Verstappen.
McLaren’s Lando Norris went straight for the softs, zooming straight to the top on 1m14.718s. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez ran on a second set of softs, producing 1m14.716s to end the session in P1.
Knocked out at this point were Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, whose scruffy final lap cost him a place in Q3, George Russell (Williams), Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), Nicholas Latifi (Williams) and Fernando Alonso (Alpine).
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Q2 results: Perez fastest from Norris
Cla | Driver | Laps | Time | Gap | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Sergio Perez
|
6 | 1'14.716 | ||
2 |
Lando Norris
|
3 | 1'14.718 | 0.002 | |
3 |
Charles Leclerc
|
6 | 1'14.808 | 0.092 | |
4 |
Lewis Hamilton
|
7 | 1'14.817 | 0.101 | |
5 |
Max Verstappen
|
8 | 1'14.884 | 0.168 | |
6 |
Valtteri Bottas
|
7 | 1'14.905 | 0.189 | |
7 |
Pierre Gasly
|
8 | 1'14.927 | 0.211 | |
8 |
Daniel Ricciardo
|
6 | 1'15.033 | 0.317 | |
9 |
Esteban Ocon
|
6 | 1'15.117 | 0.401 | |
10 |
Lance Stroll
|
6 | 1'15.138 | 0.422 | |
11 |
Carlos Sainz Jr.
|
6 | 1'15.199 | 0.483 | |
12 |
George Russell
|
6 | 1'15.261 | 0.545 | |
13 |
Sebastian Vettel
|
6 | 1'15.394 | 0.678 | |
14 |
Nicholas Latifi
|
6 | 1'15.593 | 0.877 | |
15 |
Fernando Alonso
|
6 | 1'15.593 | 0.877 | |
View full results |
What happened in Q3?
In the top-10 shootout, Hamilton set the bar at 1m14.411s, 0.091s ahead of Verstappen – who had a poor first sector but was fastest in the other two. Perez was third after his first run, a quarter of a second off the pace, with Bottas down in sixth – behind Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – after a big slide at the Tamburello chicane.
On the final runs, Hamilton just failed to improve, while Norris lit up the timing screens with a fantastic lap that put him second to Hamilton by 0.043s – but lost the time due to exceeding track limits.
Perez then went P2, 0.035s off pole, with Verstappen only third – 0.087s slower than the fastest time after he ran onto the grass exiting Tamburello. Leclerc took fourth, ahead of Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri), Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren), the unlucky Norris, the surprisingly tardy Bottas (who was on pole here last year but said he couldn't trust the rear end of his car this time), Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Stroll.
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Q3 results: Hamilton fastest from Perez
Cla | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Lewis Hamilton
|
Mercedes | 6 | 1'14.411 | |
2 |
Sergio Perez
|
Red Bull | 6 | 1'14.446 | 0.035 |
3 |
Max Verstappen
|
Red Bull | 6 | 1'14.498 | 0.087 |
4 |
Charles Leclerc
|
Ferrari | 6 | 1'14.740 | 0.329 |
5 |
Pierre Gasly
|
AlphaTauri | 6 | 1'14.790 | 0.379 |
6 |
Daniel Ricciardo
|
McLaren | 6 | 1'14.826 | 0.415 |
7 |
Lando Norris
|
McLaren | 6 | 1'14.875 | 0.464 |
8 |
Valtteri Bottas
|
Mercedes | 6 | 1'14.898 | 0.487 |
9 |
Esteban Ocon
|
Alpine | 6 | 1'15.210 | 0.799 |
10 |
Lance Stroll
|
Aston Martin | 6 | ||
View full results |
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