F1 2025 Imola GP Qualifying Showdown

The qualifying session for the 2025 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola offered fans a detailed look at each team’s driver battles and set the stage for a competitive race weekend. Tracking team-mate results in qualifying has become an intriguing subplot, allowing close comparisons between drivers under similar conditions. For more background on how qualifying sessions work in Formula 1, you can refer to the official FIA sporting regulations.

The Imola qualifying session continued this trend, with each team’s head-to-head records updated based solely on raw lap times and not impacted by grid penalties.

McLaren’s pairing of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris has consistently produced strong results in both standard and sprint qualifying runs. At Imola, Piastri held a 6-3 lead over Norris in qualifying head-to-heads, shrinking to 4-3 when excluding sprints.

In this session, Norris narrowly edged Piastri by 0.084 seconds in Q3, demonstrating just how close the inter-team battle remains. This close margin was typical across most race weekends, with Australia, China, and Japan all delivering tight qualifying duels.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc extended his lead over new teammate Lewis Hamilton to 7-2 for the year, showing impressive pace. Leclerc’s advantage was even more striking without including sprint sessions, where he led 6-1. At Imola, Leclerc finished ahead of Hamilton again by 0.161 seconds in Q2. The qualifying head-to-heads reflect the different adaptation rates to the car, especially as Hamilton continues his first season with Ferrari. Leclerc’s pace was notable despite illness during the weekend.

Red Bull saw Max Verstappen outqualify Liam Lawson in each session. Verstappen led their battle 3-0 overall (2-0 excluding sprints). For historical context on Red Bull’s qualifying dominance, see this MIT Motorsports Analytics study.

In Imola qualifying, Verstappen easily cleared the sessions as Lawson crashed out in Q1 and could not set a time. The Red Bull qualifying record with Yuki Tsunoda also remained perfect for Verstappen, going 6-0 in standard sessions and 5-0 if not counting sprints.

Mercedes featured George Russell and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Russell led the head-to-head 7-2 in qualifying, showing consistent speed. For more on Antonelli’s rapid rise through the ranks, the FIA Junior Championship archives provide excellent context.

At Imola, Russell finished Q2 0.438 seconds ahead of his teammate. Antonelli, adapting to his first full season, continued to gain experience.

Aston Martin’s match-up saw Fernando Alonso leading Lance Stroll 8-1 so far. Alonso’s qualifying strength was clear as he repeatedly finished ahead of Stroll, though the gap was smallest at Imola where Alonso edged out Stroll by 0.150 seconds in Q3.

Further down the grid, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly extended his tally over rookie Jack Doohan with a 6-2 record. At Imola, Gasly also faced new teammate Franco Colapinto, beating him as Colapinto crashed before setting a competitive time.

Haas’s Esteban Ocon led Oliver Bearman 6-3, Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg edged Gabriel Bortoleto 5-4, and Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar was 1-2 against Yuki Tsunoda but led 5-1 over Liam Lawson in other head-to-heads. Williams saw Alexander Albon lead Carlos Sainz 5-4. Recent Racing Bulls upgrades at Imola have aimed to improve overall competitiveness.

Technical issues and crashes played a part in some outcomes. Both Tsunoda and Colapinto crashed in qualifying, and Bearman in the Haas suffered from technical trouble in Australia, which meant he couldn’t set a proper time. For safety developments in F1, the FIA Safety Department provides detailed technical insights.

Such incidents are recorded separately in the team lists to clarify if a driver was unable to contest for pace.

As the season moves forward, these qualifying duels will continue to shape team strategies and influence race-day expectations. The fierce internal battles highlight the depth of talent across the grid for 2025 at Imola and beyond. Fans can also catch extended coverage of the weekend with the F1 Imola GP watch highlights available online.

Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.