Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Piastri stays ahead in second Emilia Romagna GP practice.
Oscar Piastri remained on top of the pack during second practice for Formula 1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, once more narrowly beating McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.
17 May 2025
Phillip Horton
Speedcafe

Piastri, who leads the championship by 16 points, posted a time of 1:15.293s in warm and sunny conditions at Imola to best Norris by just 0.025s. Both McLaren drivers went for a second run on the softest tyre compound – which for this weekend is Pirelli’s new C6 – but neither unearthed gains.

Norris, having been on course to demote Piastri, made a mistake through the final corner and abandoned his effort, while Piastri was slower all-round. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly surprisingly emerged as the fastest non-McLaren driver, putting his A525 into third position, just over a quarter of a second behind Piastri.

George Russell was fourth overall for Mercedes, though team-mate Kimi Antonelli had a more subdued day on home soil, finishing only 18th after erring into the Gresini chicane and taking to the grassy run-off. Max Verstappen was again unhappy with the rear of Red Bull’s RB21 en route to fifth spot, four-tenths of a second behind Piastri at a venue where he has claimed victory on Formula 1’s last three visits.

‘Piastri stays ahead’;

https://speedcafe.com/piastri-stays-...a-gp-practice/


F1 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – FP2 Results
16 May 2025
Ryan Smart
Motorsport Week

Position Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:15.293 28
2 Lando Norris McLaren 1:15.318 0.025 25
3 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:15.569 0.276 29
4 George Russell Mercedes 1:15.693 0.400 23
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:15.735 0.442 26
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:15.768 0.475 28
7 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 1:15.792 0.499 22
8 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull 1:15.827 0.534 29
9 Alex Albon Williams 1:15.916 0.623 29
10 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:15.934 0.641 29

‘FP2 Results’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...x-fp2-results/


Oscar Piastri makes telling comment about Lando Norris as F1 title battle heats up at Emilia Romagna GP
Piastri leads the Drivers' Championship ahead of McLaren team-mate Norris after seven Grands Prix.
16 May 2025
Ryan Smart
SPORTbible

Ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which takes place at the Imola Circuit in Italy, Piastri aimed a subtle dig at his team-mate. "I think Lando and I both have a chance to win the world championship this year," Piastri said. "We want the world champion to be whoever deserves it the most.”

"Of course, if we have competition from outside McLaren then maybe we'll look to do some things later in the year. But I think for now, clearly the battle is Lando and I. And we want the best person to win every weekend. At the moment, that's what happening."

‘Telling comment’;

https://www.sportbible.com/f1/oscar-...47756-20250516


Emilia-Romagna GP: Piastri edges out Norris in FP2 as Hamilton slams ‘damn brakes’
16 May 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Lewis Hamilton, racing in Italy for the first time as a Ferrari driver this weekend, caught a wayward moment at Tamburello on his first flying lap of the session. Hamilton’s struggles to control the Ferrari continued as he dipped a wheel into the gravel on the exit of the Variante Alta chicane. Hamilton’s adventures continued as he came across a slow-moving Sauber and Red Bull in quick succession in the middle sector, raising a hand in frustration, before once again coming close to the gravel on the exit of the final corner.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso was forced to take avoiding action on the entry to Tamburello where the Alpine of Franco Colapinto, making his first appearance since the 2024 season finale on Abu Dhabi, was moving slowly. “I nearly crashed,” Alonso told Aston Martin over team radio.

“These damn brakes, mate. These brakes are a problem,” Hamilton remarked as his woes continued, meanwhile, with the Mercedes of Andrea Kimi Antonelli cutting the track at Variante Alta. Hamilton has struggled to adapt to Brembo brakes since his move to Ferrari over the winter, having become accustomed to using Carbon Industrie braking materials during his 12 years with the Mercedes team.

“These damn brakes, mate. These brakes are a problem”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/emilia...025-fp2-report


F1 Emilia Romagna GP 2025 – Free Practice 2 Results
Oscar Piastri was top of the timesheets in Imola once again as he went fastest in FP2
16 May 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport

McLaren and Oscar Piastri did it again at Imola as the Australian was top of the Emilia Romagna GP 2025 Free Practice 2 results, just ahead of teammate Lando Norris with Pierre Gasly in the Alpine third fastest in the second practice session of the F1 weekend.

The Australian clocked a best time of 1:15.293, edging out Lando Norris by just 0.025s as the pair proved untouchable in both sessions. It marked a statement of intent from the British team as Formula 1 returned to Europe for Round 7 of the 2025 season, with Pirelli’s debut of the ultra-soft C6 compound creating new grip opportunities during the qualifying simulations.

Pierre Gasly delivered another impressive showing for Alpine with third place, maintaining momentum after a promising FP1, while Russell ended fourth. Max Verstappen, having endured a scruffy morning session plagued by balance issues, looked more comfortable in FP2. Still, the Red Bull driver was four tenths down on the McLarens in fifth, as he trialled further setup changes.

‘Untouchable in both sessions’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...ice-2-results/

[Fortitude]

Red Bull are further off their 2024 pace than any team at Imola.
It’s typical for Red Bull to keep more of their pace in hand on Friday, so it’s little surprise to see they are further from their 2024 lap time than any team so far.
16th May 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Max Verstappen has averaged eight tenths of a second quicker than Yuki Tsunoda so far this year, so it’s hard to take the sub-one-tenth gap between them from second practice at face value. Last year Red Bull found half a second more than McLaren between second practice and qualifying. That sort of gain would put them right in the mix for pole position, which is exactly where they’ve been in recent races.

Verstappen, however, played down his chances of taking his fourth pole position this year. “We tried a lot of bits, some worked a bit better than others, but overall we’re not fast enough at the moment,” he said. “We definitely need a bit more work to just get better through-corner balance to go faster.”

The key question for qualifying will be whether any team thinks they can coax a better lap time out of the medium rubber. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was among those who suggested it might appear in qualifying.

‘It’s typical for Red Bull’;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/05/16/...team-at-imola/


Verstappen “got overtaken by the McLarens” during his long run simulation
17 May 2025
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

The Dutchman ended the opening day seventh fastest before taking fifth in the second one-hour practice. His team-mate Yuki Tsunoda complained about traffic on his hot laps, but he got a clean lap in FP2 to end up eighth fastest only a tenth slower than Verstappen. Reflecting on his opening day in Imola, Verstappen said: “We tried a lot of things today. Some things worked a bit better than others but, ultimately, we weren’t fast enough today.”

“Qualifying will be important here and, at the moment, we aren’t quite where we want to be. We need to do a bit more work to have a better balance in the car and go faster. It is the same in the long runs, I got overtaken by the McLarens and we weren’t really where we wanted to be compared to other Teams. Overall, it was a bit tough today."

His team-mate Tsunoda sounded a positive note after the first day in Imola, but conceded that there is still a gap to the field-leading McLaren. “Overall it was a positive day of practice. We know our limitations and it was good to do our first long run today with the new upgrade package, but we need to nail it tomorrow. We still have lots of work to do as a Team and we will look to put it all together tomorrow."

“I got overtaken by the McLarens”;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/26825


Jos Verstappen sends clear message over Red Bull RB21 upgrades as moment of truth arrives
17 May 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Jos Verstappen says it is “absolutely important” that Red Bull’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix upgrades prove effective for Max Verstappen to retain the World Championship in F1 2025. He told RaceXpress: “They’ll come up with updates anyway, because of course that’s what they called out adamantly at the beginning of the season.”

“In Imola it’s going to happen, so I’m curious. It is absolutely important that it goes in the right direction. Otherwise, the gap will just get too big. The next three races, the points difference really has to start narrowing, otherwise it won’t work at all this year.” He added: “Surely I’ll hear from Max how the feeling is and what the standings are. That’s important, plus however the race goes. That’s where we lose the most anyway.”

“In Imola it’s going to happen”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/jos-ve...upgrades-imola


Max Verstappen issues worrying first impression of Red Bull RB21 upgrades
16 May 2025
Elizabeth Blackstock
PlanetF1.com

Speaking to media after Free Practice 2, Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic about those upgrades. When asked if he felt any improvement with these upgrades, he responded, “We tried a lot of bits. Some worked a bit better than others. But overall, yeah, not fast enough at the moment.”

‘RB21 upgrades’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/max-ve...-rb21-upgrades


‘Very good chance’: Marc Priestley tips Max Verstappen and 135-race F1 driver to ‘hold McLaren back’ at Imola on two conditions
16 May 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Marc Priestley tips Max Verstappen and George Russell to ‘hold’ McLaren back at Imola. Priestley said on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra (16/05, 16:04): “Overtaking is not that easy around this race track. There’s not too many opportunities to make a big lunge on the brakes and get by.”

“So, if you can have a good qualifying session and we know how good Max is on a Saturday afternoon, if he can get the car in front on the grid and get a good start at the beginning of the Grand Prix, he might even be able to then control the pace.”

“If he can get to the front in qualifying and get away from the line well, then Verstappen has a very good chance, as by the way does the likes of George Russell and anyone else who can really perform in qualifying, they might be able to hold those McLarens back.”

‘Very good chance’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...wo-conditions/


Ferrari fined for sporting infringement after practice day in Imola
17 May 2025
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Ferrari were found guilty after the practice day as the team failed to adhere to technical directive 003G, point 2 g.ii, which specifies that a tyre may be used more than once in a single session.

The directive also sets out the procedures that must be followed “if the team wishes to make adjustments to the tyres such as reducing tyre pressures. It requires that first, tyre temperatures must be obtained.”

The stewards have elected to hand out a fine of EUR5000 to Ferrari which has been the standard penalty in similar incidents.

‘Technical directive 003G, point 2 g.ii’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/26832


Why Ferrari’s qualifying pace at F1 Imola GP will be a ‘lottery’
17 May 2025
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

Lewis Hamilton: “FP1 was good, I was really really happy with the car,” he said. “Felt like we’d made a step forward and it’s feeling really positive. I literally changed the two tiniest things that shouldn’t have had barely any effect at all.”

“The smallest change we’ve probably done this year, and we had some brake issues that then made a massive difference, so that was a fight with that. That’s been a quite a big issue all year, actually. I’ve never experienced that before, so that’s a new thing for me this year.”

When asked what his feelings were for the car’s performance in qualifying, Hamilton joked that it would be a case of gambling and hoping for the best. “I mean, it’s a lottery, we’ll roll the dice. We’ll put one [change] on and it works, and we’ll put another on one and it doesn’t and we’ll see! So I hope tomorrow we figure something out, we’re working on it for sure.”

“I mean, it’s a lottery, we’ll roll the dice”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...-be-a-lottery/


FIA confirm Williams punishment after Carlos Sainz Imola GP incident
16 May 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Williams have been hit with a €1,000 fine after Carlos Sainz was caught speeding in the pit lane during practice at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. Sainz was clocked moving at 93.7 kilometres per hour – 13.7 kph over the 80kph limit – in the closing minutes of Friday’s opening practice session at Imola.

The stewards’ verdict read: “Car 55 exceeded the pit lane speed limit which is set at 80 km/h for this event by 13.7km/h. Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the Stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits.

‘Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/carlos...fia-punishment

[Fortitude]

Emilia Romagna GP: Norris pulls one back against Piastri as Verstappen enters the fray.
Lando Norris handed McLaren the practice hat-trick at Imola as he took over at the top from his team-mate Oscar Piastri in FP3 for the Emilia Romagna GP.
17 May 2025
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Midway through the hour-long session, Verstappen was P1 ahead of Norris and Hadjar while Russell, having clocked the eighth fastest time, reported “quite a lot of bouncing” in his W16.

The drivers, including the entire top ten who had been on the medium Pirellis, swapped to the softs for the final 15 minutes. Norris went purple in the final sector to overhaul Verstappen by 0.181s. Many of the drivers, though, weren’t able to improve their times from the medium tyres.

Piastri was also on the move, up to third place, with Antonelli improving his time even when his team-mate Russell couldn’t, the Italian P4. Norris and Hamilton both had a moment with the gravel late in the session. The session ended with McLaren 1-2, Norris ahead of Piastri, while Verstappen was third.

‘Norris pulls one back against Piastri’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/emilia...025-fp3-report


Imola GP: Free Practice 3 Results
Full results from Free Practice 3 for the Formula 1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix from Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari where Lando Norris led a McLaren one-two.
17 May 2025
Speedcafe.com

Pos Num Driver Team Lap Diff Laps
1 4 Lando Norris McLaren 1:14.897 19
2 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:14.997 0.100 19
3 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:15.078 0.181 17
4 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:15.399 0.502 15
5 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:15.451 0.554 26
6 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:15.457 0.560 21
7 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 1:15.508 0.611 20
8 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:15.662 0.765 14
9 23 Alex Albon Williams 1:15.732 0.835 20
10 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:15.787 0.890 25

‘Free Practice 3 Results’;

https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-e...ice-3-results/


F1 – Norris claims top spot in final practice for Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix ahead of Piastri and Verstappen
17.05.25
FIA (Press Release)

McLaren’s Lando Norris went quickest in the final practice session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Rmilia Romagna Grand Prix, beating team-mate Oscar Piastri by a tenth of a second, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished third. In an odd final 20 minutes, few drivers were able to find a comfort zone in the conditions with the C6 Pirelli tyres. Mercedes’ George Russell was the first to have a go, but he made a mistake in the Variante Alta and backed out.

Piastri also failed to stitch together an opening flyer on Softs and after the Australian backed out of his lap, Verstappen also slid wide on the Soft tyres to ruin his first flyer. He would try again late in the session but again to no avail. Norris was next to make an attempt, and he proved to be one of the few who made the C6 work. The Briton held it together through all three sectors and he claimed top spot with a lap of 1:14.897. He went for another push lap, but the rear snapped out into Tamburello and after a trip through the gravel he trundled back to the pits.

Piastri also had a second go, but although he managed to put together a lap on the C6 he couldn’t find enough pace to move ahead of his team-mate and settled for P2 ahead of Verstappen, whose Medium-tyre best kept him in P3. Behind them Kimi Antonelli also managed to deliver on the Soft tyres and he jumped from P13 to P4 with a lap of 1:15.399. Fifth place went to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, while Carlos Sainz put Williams in sixth place ahead of Hadjar and Russell. Alex Albon was ninth in the second Williams and Hamilton rounded out the top 10.

‘Norris claims top spot’;

https://www.fia.com/news/f1-norris-c...and-verstappen


‘Not something you see very often’: Ted Kravitz saw ‘cheeky’ McLaren do something unusual on Lando Norris’ F1 car at Imola
17 May 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Ted Kravitz spotted McLaren run a ‘cheeky’ rear wing test on Lando Norris’ car at Imola. Instead, Ted Kravitz thinks McLaren were ‘cheeky’ and took advantage of a quiet track at the start of FP3 to test a different rear wing on Norris’ car to prepare for the Monaco Grand Prix next week. Imola and Monaco are the first two parts of a triple-header with the Spanish GP.

Kravitz said on Sky Sports F1 (17/5, 17:40): “Eyeballing it, that’s a higher-downforce than he was running yesterday. And I’m just wondering if this is a set-up experiment on that harder tyre for Monaco because he’s put what looks like the wing they had yesterday back on. So, while everybody else is not going out for whatever reason, I think we have just seen McLaren do a little bit of a cheeky test there. And now they’re just finishing putting the Imola wing back on. It’s not something you see very often in a free practice three.”

‘Not something you see very often’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ted...-car-at-imola/


FP3 Highlights: 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
17 May 2025
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Watch highlights from third practice ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola

‘FP3 Highlights’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/fp...72311526603282


Max third in final practice at Imola
17 May 202
Kees-Jan Koster
Verstappen.nl

Max Verstappen finished third in the third practice session for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver ended the final practice in Imola with a deficit of just under two tenths of a second. Lando Norris was the fastest, just ahead of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.

With just over fifteen minutes to go, the soft tyres were fitted to the cars. Piastri aborted his first lap on the softs, but Max went for it. After a purple first sector, the Red Bull driver was unable to improve over the whole lap. Alex Albon (Williams) and George Russell (Mercedes) faced the same issue. Norris, however, did manage to improve.

On the soft tyres, he recorded a 1:14.8, but overall it did not look certain there was more pace to be found on the softs. Nobody could beat Norris’s time, so he finished the session fastest. He had exactly a tenth of a second advantage over his McLaren teammate Piastri. Max ended the session third with just under two tenths behind first place, but his time was set on the mediums. A second run on the softs also did not result in an improvement.

‘A deficit of just under two tenths of a second’;

https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5814/


Ferrari fans are displaying something in the Imola grandstands that shows how they really feel about Lewis Hamilton
17 May 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Ferrari fans fully support Lewis Hamilton with face cut-outs and ‘massive flags’ in the Imola grandstands. Hamilton will be desperate to find form at Imola. The seven-time world champion has not finished higher than fifth in the opening six Grands Prix.

Hamilton told Ferrari fans they deserve success ahead of the Emilia Romagna GP. They labelled the 40-year-old a ‘legend’ as they come to the circuit in their numbers to cheer on their famous red team. Davide Valsecchi says the Tifosi are ‘arguing’ over Hamilton, with some believing he is ‘not delivering’ the results they expected at the start of the year. The grandstands at Imola show how they really feel about their new signing.

In a report by The Mirror, journalist Daniel Moxon noted that ‘the Tifosi still very much have his back’. They have displayed ‘cut-outs of his face’ and ‘massive flags bearing his racing number 44’ in the grandstands, as well as personalised hats and T-shirts ‘everywhere you looked’. Speaking to a few Ferrari fans, Moxon says they still believe that the ‘marriage’ between the team and Hamilton ‘can be a happy one’.

‘Ferrari fans fully support Lewis Hamilton’;


https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fer...ewis-hamilton/

[Fortitude]

Emilia-Romagna GP: Oscar Piastri takes pole in qualifying.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri narrowly beat reigning champion Max Verstappen to pole position for Sunday's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
May 17, 2025
ESPN.com

Piastri's McLaren was 0.034 seconds faster than the Red Bull at Imola as the two drivers traded fastest sector times around the three-mile circuit. Verstappen improved his lap time on his final attempt, and exited the final corner ever so slightly ahead of Piastri's time only for the McLaren to have the edge on the drag to the finish line.

Lando Norris, who is currently second in the championship and 16 points behind Piastri, had to settle for fourth on the grid after Mercedes' George Russell beat him to third in the final moments of the session.

The result sets up an intriguing battle for Sunday's race after Piastri and Verstappen last lined up alongside each other on the front row at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, at which the McLaren driver beat the Verstappen into the first corner despite starting second.

‘Oscar Piastri takes pole’;

https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/4...ole-qualifying


Imola GP F1 qualifying results
May 17, 2025
The Race

Provisional starting grid
1 Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3 George Russell (Mercedes)
4 Lando Norris (McLaren)
5 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
6 Carlos Sainz (Williams)
7 Alex Albon (Williams)
8 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
9 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
10 Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

‘F1 qualifying results’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/i...and-prix-2025/


BREAKING NEWSF1 qualifying is HALTED as driver suffers scary crash with his car flipping over ahead of Imola Grand Prix
• The star is still getting used to his new team after receiving a recent promotion
• He suffered a scary moment as his car flipped 360 degrees in a nasty crash
• After being checked by medics, he was confirmed to be OK ahead of the race
17 May 2025
JONATHAN MCEVOY and LEWIS BROWNING
MailOnline

Yuki Tsunoda walked away unscathed from a massive crash that brought qualifying at Imola to a dramatic halt on Saturday. The Red Bull man lost control on taking too much kerb at the Villeneuve chicane, his car hurtling across the run-off area, spinning backwards into the tyre barrier and catch fence, flipping upside down, before righting itself to finish stricken in the gravel.

Tsunoda was driven to the medical centre for checks – the halo having saved him from possible serious harm as he was bounced headfirst towards the ground. A 15-minute delay to the first qualifying session ensued as the track was cleared. Tsunoda… …suffered potentially the worst moment of his Red Bull career so far on Saturday afternoon when his car flipped in the brutal crash. Commentator and former Red Bull driver David Coulthard said: 'Big, big crash there. It looks to me as if he got aggressive, more aggressive than we have seen from any card on that left-hand part turn five on the kerb.'

He went onto credit the barriers and catch fence for contributing to there seemingly being no injury. Former mechanic Marc Priestley, meanwhile, said on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra: 'Tsunoda's car did a complete 360. It landed upside down before the car then righted itself coming off the barriers.”

‘Yuki Tsunoda walked away unscathed from a massive crash’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ing-crash.html


Yuki Tsonda's Terrifying Crash During Emilia Romagna GP Qualifying
17 May 2025
Nick Sutherland
Give Me Sport

F1 journalist Andrew Benson, who was covering qualifying for BBC Sport, admitted that the crash was the biggest he'd seen in the sport for an extended period.

"I've not seen an accident that big for quite some time. Landing upside down is an illustration of how important the halo head protection is in F1. Yuki Tsunoda is very lucky and seems okay walking off the track there."

‘The biggest he'd seen in the sport for an extended period’;

https://www.givemesport.com/yuki-tso...gp-qualifying/


Colapinto crash triggers second Imola qualifying red flag
17 May 2025
Mat Coch
PlanetF1.com

Franco Colapinto has triggered the second red flag of qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The Alpine driver crashed out in the final seconds of Qualifying 1 at Imola, nosing into the barrier at Tamburello.

Alpine subsequently confirmed Colapinto had been cleared of injuries following a visit to the circuit’s medical centre. “Following the incident at the end of Q1, Franco was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks as per the procedure,” the team said. “He is ok, has been checked and cleared to leave.”

“He is ok”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/franco...fying-red-flag


Emilia Romagna GP: Piastri on pole after marathon qualy as Ferrari falters in triple Italian Q2 exit
17 May 2025
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Oscar Piastri clinched pole position for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix ahead of Max Verstappen, but the big stories were all found in the back half of the grid. Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto brought out red flags as they suffered huge crashes in Q1, while Italian hopes were wiped out in Q2 when both Ferrari drivers and Kimi Antonelli were eliminated.

‘Big stories were all found in the back half of the grid’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/emilia...lifying-report


'My God... my God!' | Ferrari 'devastated' with double Q2 knockout
17 May 2025
Sky Sports

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc shared their disappointment in qualifying 11th and 12th for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

'My God... my God!';

https://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...le-q2-knockout


Hamilton has hands on helmet and wallows in car as Ferrari suffer homecoming humiliation
17 May 2025
Joe Brophy
talkSPORT

Lewis Hamilton's first qualifying session in front of Ferrari's home fans ended in major disappointment after a heartbreaking early exit. Leclerc was aghast as both Ferraris failed to make Q3.

Ferrari were under pressure to bounce back on home soil in Italy after their two drivers finished P8 and P7 respectively in Miami. It continued a hugely difficult season for the Prancing Horse, with just one podium and a solitary Sprint win across six race weekends.

Despite the promise of upgrades, F1's most successful and famous team will now have both drivers starting at Imola outside the top ten. Hamilton put his hands on his helmet as his fate became sealed, and then spent several minutes in the cockpit before exiting the car.

‘Major disappointment’;

https://talksport.com/motorsport/321...f1-qualifying/


Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc suffer home humiliation in Ferrari qualifying disaster
Ferrari's F1 woes continue as the Italian squad endured a difficult qualifying outing at the Imola circuit.
17 May 2025
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365

Ferrari's qualifying effort at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix ended early as both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc exited the session early. The Italian squad has endured a difficult start to the campaign, with just one podium in six races.

Its chances of adding to that tally at its home event from Imola took a major hit as both drivers are set to start the session outside the top 10. Leclerc could only manage 11th at the end of Q2, while Hamilton's best effort was one and a half tenths behind - leaving him in 12th.

Sunday will mark Hamilton's lowest starting position on the grid since joining the Italian squad at the start of the year.

‘Ferrari's F1 woes continue’;

https://racingnews365.com/lewis-hami...fying-disaster

[Fortitude]

Ferrari pair “devastated” as team lap half a second slower at home than last year.
Last year the Ferrari drivers lined up on the second row of the grid at Imola. Today Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were stung by the team’s first failure to reach Q3 for almost a year. Leclerc’s 1’15.604 was not only well off the 1’14.970 he set in qualifying, it was slower than he went in final practice.
17th May 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Lewis Hamilton, who took 12th on the grid, one place behind his team mate, said he was “devastated” neither of their cars reached Q3 on home ground. “I’m very disappointed,” said Leclerc. “Especially at home, at such a special grand prix for the team, it just hurts. It would have hurt anyway, whatever track, but here it hurts even more. I have no words about our performance today.”

“Devastated”;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/05/17/...lap-time-data/


Ferrari boss sets record straight after Lewis Hamilton left ‘devastated’
18 May 2025
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

It’s not the first time the team-mates have rued a lack of speed and even a lack of potential. And it begs the question, where does the blame lie? While some have pointed fingers at Ferrari’s new technical director Serra, who joined the team from Mercedes, Vasseur has defended him as “90 per cent” of the car was defined before Serra joined the team in October last year.

That would turn the focus, and the blame game, to former Ferrari tech boss Cardile, although he left in July and left a vacuum that Ferrari announced Vasseur would oversee in the interim. “When Loic arrived in Maranello six months ago, the current car was already defined, let’s say, ninety per cent. Then, of course, it depends on each individual element, but the basic design decisions had already been made,” Vasseur told Marca.

“I’m talking about the weight distribution, the wheelbase, the overall concept, etc. It’s something that affects all teams when the technical leadership changes.” But, he added: “95 per cent of the team is the same as the one that participated in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 projects. I am convinced that if a project has problems, it does not mean that the structure does not work.”

‘Ferrari boss sets record straight’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...vastated-imola


Charles Leclerc delivers emotional apology to Tifosi after Ferrari’s 2025 Imola Qualifying disaster
Ferrari will start Sunday’s race from 11th and 12th on the grid.
18 May 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

In light of that, Leclerc delivers emotional apology to the Tifosi at the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP as Ferrari find themselves poised to lose considerable ground in the constructors’ championship. “[I’m] very disappointed, especially at home,” Leclerc said to F1 TV. “At such a special Grand Prix for the team – it just hurts.”

“It would have hurt anyway, whatever [the] track, but here it hurts even more. I have no words about our performance today. The only thing we can say is that we are sorry for this kind of performance at home and in general.”

“Race pace was strong,” Leclerc added. “But we are starting P11. Apart from if something is happening crazy, it’s going to be difficult. We are just not good enough at the moment and we’ve got to do better. Unfortunately, this is all I can say at the moment. And this is all we are trying to do, is to be better and to work in the right direction.”

”We are sorry for this kind of performance at home and in general”;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/cha...mola-disaster/


“Gutted” Hamilton calls for more Ferrari upgrades after missing Q3
MAY 18, 2025
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

After qualifying he called for more updates for the SF-25, while also stressing that for him that this is a “foundation building” year ahead of 2026. “I definitely feel devastated, I feel just gutted I guess, because the car was generally feeling really good,” he said.

“I honestly felt like the setup was just right, the brakes were working, everything was kind of in place, and we just can’t go quicker. If you look how quick Max is going through Turn 2 and 3, we just can’t match it. And when we put that new soft on at the end, for some reason, it just didn’t come alive. There was no extra grip.”

He added: “I just I really thought we were going to be getting through. I thought the car’s alive, and watching these guys doing 14.7s. We could just get to 15.7, it’s a lot of time missing. I think we made progress this weekend with the bit that I was talking about before,” he said. “It’s still not where it needs to be. And there’s performance in that. And we need more upgrades for sure. We’ve got to start adding performance to this car.”

“Gutted”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2025/05/18/...er-missing-q3/


Piastri bracing for Verstappen charge, but ‘nothing unexpected’
18/05/2025
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

When asked if he expects Verstappen to come out swinging after their recent encounters, Piastri was clear: “Not really. I think we know how each other races. That’s both very hard.”
“Certainly not expecting any return of serve because I think that’s going to be the serve every single time. Nothing unexpected for tomorrow.”

In other words, Piastri knows Sunday’s opening lap will be fiercely contested — but it’s par for the course when battling Verstappen.

“I think we know how each other races. That’s both very hard”;

https://f1i.com/news/538830-piastri-...nexpected.html


Watch: See where Piastri got the better of Verstappen during Imola Qualifying with our ‘Ghost Car’ feature
18/05/2025
Formula One - Official Site

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri beat Red Bull rival Max Verstappen to pole position during a Qualifying thriller at Imola on Saturday, with only a few hundredths separating the pair at the chequered flag.

Verstappen led the way after the opening Q3 runs but Piastri fought back to produce a pole-grabbing effort of 1m 14.670s – precisely 0.034s faster than the reigning four-time World Champion.

‘Ghost Car’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...s5aXXCQ2RfB8Dq


Max Verstappen explains the ‘biggest problem’ Red Bull’s latest update package hasn’t fixed after Imola qualifying
18 May 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Max Verstappen was asked in an interview with the Dutch media, via Motorsport, if Red Bull’s latest update package helps deal with the RB21’s tyre wear problems and he responded, “No. It is of course better in terms of balance, but if the tyres get too hot, they get too hot.”

In his opinion, this rules him out of being in contention to win Sunday’s race, explaining, “It will go a bit better [than in Miami], but I don’t think we can really attack them, just because they have less overheating.”

Verstappen has insisted that there’s still a key aspect that Red Bull needs to improve with future upgrades and said, “Well, we mainly have to make sure that our tyres don’t overheat. That’s still our biggest problem. We can put ten more updates on the car, but the most important thing is that we get those tyres under control.”

“We can put ten more updates on the car”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/max...la-qualifying/


Max Verstappen disbelief after 'lot of damage' crash
Max Verstappen has offered his thoughts on the huge accident at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.
18 May 2025
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Max Verstappen has revealed his disbelief at the scale of Yuki Tsunoda's accident in Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying. "Well, first, of course, I asked if he's OK," Verstappen told media including RacingNews365.

"And I heard yeah, he's OK. But then I saw the replay — I'm like, “Jesus, is he really OK? It was a big impact, with a lot of damage as well. But the most important thing is that Yuki is okay."

‘Disbelief’;

https://racingnews365.com/max-versta...f-damage-crash


FIA reveal full extent of Yuki Tsunoda’s RB21 rebuild ahead of Imola GP
18 May 2025
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Confirming the expected news that Tsunoda would be starting the Imola race from the pit lane, the FIA said in a statement: “For the rebuild of car 22 after the survival cell change, the Oracle Red Bull Racing team used several components of different specification.”

“Therefore car number 22 should now be required to start the Race from the pit lane according to Article 40.9 a) of the 2025 Formula One Sporting Regulations. This morning, the Oracle Red Bull Racing team submitted the duly completed scrutineering declaration form for car number 22 after a survival cell change.”

‘Article 40.9 a) of the 2025 Formula One Sporting Regulations’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/fia-re...ad-of-imola-gp

[Fortitude]

Verstappen storms to victory in thrilling Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix ahead of Norris and Piastri.
Max Verstappen has surged to an impressive second victory of the season at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, the Dutchman having snatched P1 at the start before holding his position ahead of the McLaren pair in an eventful afternoon that featured Virtual Safety Car and full Safety Car phases.
18 May 2025
Formula One - Official Site

The race got underway in exciting fashion as polesitter Oscar Piastri initially launched well off the line – only for Verstappen to make a stunning overtake through the Tamburello chicane, resulting in the World Champion going on to build a lead in the laps that followed. Piastri then joined a number of drivers who made an early pit stop, having stopped for the hard compound on Lap 14, but the call did not seem to work out for the Australian, with Verstappen staying out on track to further extend his advantage in first place.

As questions persisted over whether a one-stop or two-stop strategy was the way forward – with around half of the field remaining out following that earlier flurry of action in the pits for the other half – the picture was turned on its head when a Virtual Safety Car was called on Lap 29 after Esteban Ocon pulled onto the grass in the Haas. Verstappen crossed the line to seal a 65th career victory some 6.109s ahead of Norris in second, while Piastri followed by a similar margin to his team mate in third. Hamilton ended his first Italian race as a Ferrari driver in fourth, with the Briton dedicating his result to the Tifosi.

Key quote: "The start itself wasn’t particularly great, but then I was still on the outside line, basically the normal line, and I was like, ‘Well, I’m just going to try and send it around the outside’," said Verstappen. "It worked really well! That of course then unleased our pace, because once we were in the lead, the car was good. I could look after my tyres and we had very good pace today. Again, a massive improvement from Friday, and I’m very pleased for that. That VSC was quite handy to pit, and even then, even on the hard compound, I think our pace was very strong. Then of course there was the Safety Car, so the field was all back together. But even then on the restart, I think we managed it all really well and brought it home. I’m incredibly proud of everyone. It’s been a very important week for us, the car has performed really well, and also I think the whole execution of the whole race, when to pit, the pit stops themselves, were all very good."

‘Verstappen storms to victory’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...JdFzCI6tiBtqoU


F1 Emilia Romagna GP 2025 – Race Results
18 May 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport

F1 Emilia Romagna GP 2025 results
Check out the full Emilia Romagna GP 2025 race results from Imola below.
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Leader
2 Lando Norris McLaren +6.109
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren +12.956
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +14.356
5 Alexander Albon Williams +17.945
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +20.774
7 George Russell Mercedes +22.034
8 Carlos Sainz Williams +22.898
9 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +23.586
10 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull +26.446

‘Race Results’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...-race-results/


Verstappen takes Imola F1 win, Piastri's lead cut
May 18, 2025
Samarth Kanal
The Race

Max Verstappen pulled off a stunning Turn 1 move to take the lead and eventually win the 2025 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - as two interruptions punctuated the race at Imola. After the lights went out, under pressure from George Russell, poleman Oscar Piastri allowed Verstappen to outbrake him and pass him around the outside of Turn 2 to take the lead by the exit of Tamburello.

Perhaps it was a tame concession of the lead from Piastri - but Verstappen’s move was nothing short of brilliant. This was a brave, clean move through a narrow, unforgiving corner - something seldom-seen in this era of F1. It was just one of a trio of defining moments at what could be Imola’s final grand prix for the foreseeable future.

‘Verstappen’s move was nothing short of brilliant’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/i...appen-piastri/


Verstappen mugs Piastri for fourth consecutive Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix win
18th May 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Piastri made a good start from pole position and drew ahead of Verstappen as they raced to turn one. But the McLaren driver left the outside free for his rival and Verstappen took full advantage, sweeping by him into the lead. The situation became worse for Piastri soon afterwards as McLaren brought him in for an early first pit stop, putting him on course to make two tyre changes.

Several others made the same move, but as gaps opened up between the leading drivers, their tyre degradation improved and they extended their opening stints. Verstappen therefore built up a lead over Lando Norris, who passed George Russell early on. However Piastri quickly made his way past the midfielders. That plus a Virtual Safety Car and a later Safety Car period eased his path back to second place.

Verstappen led Piastri and Norris at the final restart, which followed a Safety Car period caused by Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s retirement. But Piastri was unable to stay with the Red Bull driver, and within a few laps of the restart Norris took the ‘Verstappen line’ around the outside of his team mate at Tamburello for second place.

‘Verstappen mugs Piastri’;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/05/18/...rand-prix-win/


Verstappen takes commanding win at Imola - 2025 Emilia Romagna GP results
May 18th 2025
Pablo Elizalde
Motor Sport Magazine

Max Verstappen took a commanding victory in Formula 1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, beating McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The world champion finished over six seconds ahead of Norris after a safety car period erased a gap of nearly 20 seconds for the Dutchman.

Despite the late restart, Verstappen continued to dominate and proved unreachable for the McLarens. It was Verstappen’s fourth win at Imola.

‘Verstappen takes commanding’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#


Lewis Hamilton's emotional Ferrari message emerges as Brit explains recovery plan
Lewis Hamilton was feeling the Imola emotions on Sunday.
May 18, 2025
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

Lewis Hamilton produced a rousing radio message after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, pumping up his team and giving thanks to the passionate Ferrari fanbase while pointing out the Prancing Horse's path to recovery. The Scuderia endured a miserable Saturday in front of the Tifosi as both Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc were eliminated in Q2. Lining up 11th and 12th on the grid, the chances of scoring significant points for the Constructors' Championship battle looked slim.

However, things played out differently on race day. Ferrari's pace was strong on Sunday, and Leclerc jumped a number of cars with an early undercut. Hamilton, meanwhile, ran long on hard compound tyres and capitalised on a virtual safety car to align his strategy with the cars around him. Late in the race, a mechanical DNF for Kimi Antonelli triggered a safety car. Leclerc was left to scrap for his life on worn tyres, but Hamilton made the most of his fresh rubber, moving past his team-mate and in-form Williams star Alex Albon. When the chequered flag waved, he was hounding Oscar Piastri for the final place on the podium.


On the radio, Hamilton gave a rousing speech to his team and fans. "Thanks so much mate! What a great race guys! Fantastic stops, strategy, the car felt great today. I'm so grateful, so proud. Grazie a tutti! And for the Tifosi... that was for them." Race engineer Riccardo Adami praised the seven-time world champion's performance. The Brit then added: "Let's keep pushing. We get that qualifying better and we can race like that, we will be winning."

“And for the Tifosi... that was for them";

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...gna-Grand-Prix