Disaster on home turf for Ferrari, eliminated in Q2 in Imola qualifying
Scuderia Ferrari endured a difficult Saturday at Imola, with both drivers eliminated from Q2. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will start 11th and 12th respectively on the grid for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, a far cry from expectations at the Italian team's home track.
The weekend promises to be difficult for Scuderia Ferrari, who experienced a disastrous day during the qualifying of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. Both Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, were eliminated in Q2, a major blow on the home circuit of the Italian team.
During a session punctuated by two red flags, first following the impressive accident of Yuki Tsunoda, then after Franco Colapinto's off-track excursion, the Ferraris never found the necessary pace to qualify for Q3.
Leclerc, who had set the second fastest time after his first attempt in Q2, failed to improve his lap time on his final run. The Monegasque complained on the radio about understeer and will start 11th on the grid. His reaction to the elimination was unequivocal: « My God », he repeated several times on the radio.
Lewis Hamilton, for his first home race with the Scuderia, did not have better luck and will start 12th. « Sorry guys, I can't improve for some unknown reason », the Briton told his team after his elimination.
What makes this poor performance even more bitter is that the two Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso qualified for Q3 with medium tires, theoretically slower than the soft ones used by Ferrari.
The other Italian disappointment of the day was Kimi Antonelli. The young Bologna-based Mercedes driver couldn't do better than the 13th fastest time and was also eliminated in Q2 for his first home Grand Prix.
The pole position was finally secured by Oscar Piastri on McLaren, who edged out Max Verstappen by just 0.034 seconds. George Russell completes the top 3 with his Mercedes, while Lando Norris will start fourth.
Ferrari's early elimination on their home turf adds to a series of complications over the weekend, as well as a difficult start to the 2025 season. The tifosi, who have come in large numbers to support the Scuderia, will have to hope for a comeback during Sunday's race, but without a miracle, the chances of a podium finish seem compromised for the Italian team at Imola.
