Oscar Piastri nearly secured pole at Imola, but faces a stewards’ inquiry for impeding Kevin Magnussen, which could alter the qualifying results.
Oscar Piastri clocked the second-fastest time in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix qualifying at Imola. The McLaren F1 driver is pleased with his time but is under investigation for impeding Kevin Magnussen in Q1 and will go to the stewards at 18:15 local time. He faces a potential three-place grid penalty.
“It went quite well, it was a bit tight in the last corner but it’s difficult to do a perfect lap here. I’m happy, I felt good in the car as soon as we hit the track yesterday, I was close to pole and I’m pleased with how this weekend is going,” Piastri said.
“In the past we said no, but with our recent performances, I would say yes. We are on pace, we have been all weekend. You can never rule out Max and Red Bull, as we’ve seen again, but our confidence is high.”
Lando Norris set the third-fastest time, which could see him start on the front row if his teammate is penalized. Meanwhile, the British driver confirmed his happiness with his performance and praised Piastri and Max Verstappen, who beat him by less than a tenth.
“It was good! Third place isn’t a bad result, we were a tenth away from first place, the gaps are tight but the team had a good day and has done an excellent job since the beginning of the weekend. Oscar did a very good job, Max too, it’s tight and I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” Norris said.
He confirmed that pole position is an increasingly realistic goal: “We’re getting closer. Being ahead of the Ferraris is also a good result for us, the race should be interesting to watch. It’s tough when the times are so close, the first corner will count, the first lap, the strategies, the pit stops… it’s going to be a tough race.”
Piastri Was ‘Close to Pole’ but Is Under Investigation at Imola. Piastri Was ‘Close to Pole’ but Is Under Investigation at Imola
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