For an eighth consecutive Formula 1 grand prix, Verstappen took pole position to equal Ayrton Senna’s all-time record on pole streaks.
The reigning world champion battled back from a tough trio of practice sessions for Red Bull, to grab top spot by 0.074s from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
But the Australian driver was given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen during Q1.
That promotes Lando Norris to the front row alongside Verstappen, with both Ferraris also up one spot, as Charles Leclerc takes third and Carlos Sainz moves up to fourth.
With Piastri fifth, George Russell put his Mercedes sixth ahead of Yuki Tsunoda’s impressive seventh for RB, who out-qualified Lewis Hamilton in eighth. RB’s Daniel Ricciardo and Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10.
It was a tough qualifying for Fernando Alonso, following a heavy crash in FP3, as he suffered off-track moments in Q1 to drop out in 19th for Aston Martin – only ahead of Logan Sargeant for Williams who had all of his lap times deleted for exceeding track limits.
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
When is the F1 Imola Grand Prix?
Date: Sunday 19 May 2024
Start time: 3pm local time/2pm BST
The seventh round of the 2024 F1 season, the Imola GP, gets underway at 3pm local time on Sunday 19 May.
How can I watch Formula 1?
In the United Kingdom, Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.
Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £18 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.99p or a month membership of £34.99p per month.
How can I watch the F1 Imola GP?
In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Imola GP.
The race will be shown live on Sky Sports F1, with pre-race coverage starting at 12:30pm BST, ahead of the race start at 2:00pm BST.
• Channels: Sky Sports F1
• Start time: 12:30pm BST, Sunday 19 May 2024
Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Imola GP here.
When can I watch the F1 Imola GP highlights?
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
In the United Kingdom, Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Imola GP at 6:30pm BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for two and a half hours, covering the pre-race, the race…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Autosport.com – Formula 1 – Stories…