Just a matter of weeks ago, no one would have been surprised to hear that Max Verstappenwould take pole position at Imola for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
But what would have seemed routine a month ago was anything but on Saturday. Verstappen’s joy at holding onto pole after a challenging start to the weekend demonstrated just how much he had had to work for this one.
“It’s been a while that I’ve felt like we’ve been that far off,” he admitted after qualifying. “In Singapore, we were off the whole weekend, so that was just a terrible weekend. But here we were also quite far off and then we managed to turn it around. So it must be at least five, six years, because I don’t really remember being able to turn it around like that.”
Data from the session revealed that he had gained enough time on the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris by slipstreaming Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas at the start of his final lap that that could have been the difference between qualifying on pole or third. But it also suggests that McLaren may have truly drawn level with the early-season pace setters.
Now it is a question of how hard Norris and Piastri may be able to push the world champion – or if Ferrari will prove more of a threat in race trim than they did on Sunday.
Either way, there are plenty of signs that this could be the most competitive and intriguing Sunday of the season so far.
Weather
Over the first two days of the weekend, the conditions have been as consistent and comfortable as playing a racing game with the settings on ‘clear’. Sunny with temperatures in the mid-20s Celsius, the track conditions have been virtually identical across the four sessions so far.
Heading into the weekend, there were signs that Sunday could see that all change with rain expected to arrive in the afternoon, around the time of the race start. However, as the weekend has progressed, that threat appears to be gradually decreasing.
While there is still a minor risk of rain from 3pm local time – when the race will begin – the chance is much lower than was previously forecast. The risk of rain does pick up as the afternoon progresses, but by the time it is at its highest, the race should be finished.
Drivers can therefore expect a dry race with ambient temperatures in the mid-20s once more, but perhaps with more cloud cover than Friday and Saturday.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…