Verstappen equals the consecutive pole record, McLaren record their first front row start at Imola since 2005 and Magnussen equals the record for most Q1 exits. Here are the facts and statistics from qualifying at the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
VERSTAPPEN EQUALS CONSECUTIVE POLE RECORD AT 2024 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX
Max Verstappen secured pole position at the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, taking the 39th pole position of his Formula 1 career.
Recording an eighth successive pole position, Verstappen equalled Ayrton Senna’s 35-year-old record for the most consecutive poles in F1. Senna took eight poles in a row between the 1988 Spanish Grand Prix and the 1989 United States Grand Prix.
Verstappen became only the second driver, after Alain Prost in 1993, to secure pole position at all of the first seven races of the season.
Max Verstappen is the sixth driver to have taken multiple pole positions at Imola. He is the fifth driver to take successive poles at the track, after Rene Arnoux, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen. Schumacher was the last driver to take consecutive poles at the track, in 2002 and 2003.
IN THE TOP 10
Oscar Piastri set the second fastest lap time in Q3 at the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix but dropped to fifth on the grid after being handed a three place grid penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen.
This was the second front row qualification of Piastri’s career, after the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix where he also qualified second.
This was the first time since the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that Piastri qualified ahead of team-mate Lando Norris.
Despite Piastri’s penalty, McLaren will still start the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from the front row with Lando Norris moving up to second on the grid. It’s the first front row start for a McLaren driver at Imola since Kimi Raikkonen started from pole position at the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix.
This was the first time since their front row lock-out in 2001 that both McLaren drivers qualified in the top three at Imola.
Setting the third fastest time in Q3, Norris equalled his best qualifying result of the season to date. Moving up to second on the grid, this is Norris’ first front row start for a Grand Prix since the 2023 United States Grand Prix.
With Sergio Perez exiting in Q2, McLaren became the only team to reach Q3 with both cars at every race in 2024. McLaren are also the only team to have never failed to reach Q3 with either car at Imola.
For the first time since the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix, both Ferrari drivers qualified in the top four in a conventional qualifying session at Imola.
Carlos Sainz remains yet to out-qualify a team-mate at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
With eighth place, Lewis Hamilton qualified outside of the top seven for a ninth consecutive race.
George Russell reached Q3 at Imola for the first time in his career, having exited in Q2 on every previous appearance at the track.
For the first time since the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix, both of the Red Bull junior team’s drivers reached Q3 at the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
2020 is the only other time that both of the Red Bull junior team’s drivers have reached Q3 at Imola.
With seventh place, Yuki Tsunoda recorded his best qualifying result of the year to date. This is the third time in his career that he has qualified in the top seven, after the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix and the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Tsunoda has reached Q3 at all but one of the last six races. This was the first time he has made it out of Q1 in his three appearances at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Daniel Ricciardo qualified ninth for the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, recording his first Q3 appearance of the 2024 season. This was the first time he qualified in the top ten since qualifying fourth at the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix.
This was the first time Ricciardo has qualified outside of the top six at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg qualified in the top ten for a third consecutive race. This is the first time he has reached Q3 at three races in a row since the 2023 Spanish, Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix.
Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo all maintained their 100% Q3 appearance records at Imola.
OUT IN Q2
Sergio Perez missed out on a place in Q3 at the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, qualifying in 11th place. This was the first time Perez missed out on Q3 since the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Perez became the first Red Bull driver to qualify outside of the top ten at Imola since both drivers failed to reach Q3 at the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix.
Alex Albon qualified in 14th place for a fourth consecutive race weekend. This was Albon’s eighth Q2 exit in a row.
Both Alpine drivers were eliminated in Q2 at the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, making this the first time that neither of the Enstone team’s drivers reached Q3 at Imola. It’s the first time since 2001 that neither of the team’s drivers qualified in the top ten at Imola.
With 12th place, Esteban Ocon recorded his best qualifying result of the season to date and equalled his team’s best qualifying performance of the year. Pierre Gasly also qualified 12th for the Miami Grand Prix.
OUT IN Q1
Kevin Magnussen exited in Q1 at the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, recording the 71st Q1 elimination of his Formula 1 career. That saw him equal Marcus Ericsson at the top of the list of most Q1 exits in Formula 1.
Fernando Alonso qualified in 19th place for the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, recording his first back row qualification in a conventional qualifying session since the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix.
This was Alonso’s first Q1 exit since the 2023 United States Grand Prix.
With Valtteri Bottas 16th and Zhou Guanyu 17th, Sauber recorded their fourth double Q1 elimination of the year at the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
With 16th place, Bottas equalled his worst qualifying result of the season so far.
This was the first time in his career that Bottas did not reach Q3 at Imola.
Logan Sargeant’s Q1 lap time was deleted, seeing him qualify 20th for the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. He continues his record of exiting in Q1 at every race so far this season.