- World champion equals Senna record of eight straight poles
- McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris second and third
Max Verstappen had to pull off a comeback he believed was the best he had managed for more than five years to claim pole position for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. A suitably superb lap under immense pressure raised him alongside Ayrton Senna with a record eighth consecutive pole.
In the year of the 30th anniversary of Senna’s death at Imola, Verstappen had to dig deep, after a torrid couple of days during which he and Red Bull have struggled with the car’s grip and balance. He had been out of sorts and down on pace but made it count when it mattered against a huge charge from the McLarens of Oscar Piastri in second and Lando Norris in third.