2020 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying results, full grid lineup
Valtteri Bottas will start the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from pole position for Mercedes, the 13th round of the 2020 Formula 1 World Championship season, at Imola.
For the first time since 2006, teams were unleashed around the classic Italian venue for a qualifying session.
In the top-10 shootout, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) set the bar at 1m13.781s, 0.031s quicker than Bottas, who lost time in the final sector. Hamilton then lowered his time to 1m13.706 on the second run, but Bottas snatched the top spot seconds later with 1m13.609s, which was 0.097s faster.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen will start third, 0.567s off the fastest time. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly – wearing a fantastic Ayrton Senna tribute helmet – will start fourth.
Daniel Ricciardo (Renault) qualified fifth, ahead of Alex Albon’s Red Bull. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start seventh, ahead of Daniil Kvyat (AlphaTauri) and the McLarens of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz.
In Qualifying 2, Bottas was fastest on the medium tyres with 1m14.585s, 0.058s faster than Hamilton. Meanwhile, there was huge drama at Red Bull, as Verstappen complained of “no power” on his first run, and was forced to pit for electrical repairs, while his teammate Albon suffered a spin at Variante Alta.
Both made the cut on their final runs, Verstappen even doing it on medium tyres after a spark plug change. Knocked out at this point were Sergio Perez (by just 0.1s in his Racing Point), Esteban Ocon (Renault), George Russell (Williams), Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari, who had his fastest lap deleted) and Lance Stroll (Racing Point, who was pinged for track limits and ran wide at Rivazza in a scrappy session).
In Qualifying 1, Bottas set the fastest time at 1m14.221s, eight thousandths faster than Hamilton (who had his fastest time deleted after running too wide at Piratella, and used two sets of soft tyres in this session).
Falling at the first hurdle were the Haas duo Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen (who went off on his final flying lap at Rivazza), Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen, Nicholas Latifi (Williams) and the second Alfa of Antonio Giovinazzi.
F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying grid results
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Time | Gap | km/h | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Valtteri Bottas |  | Mercedes | Mercedes | 1'13.609 | 242.530 | |
| 2 |  Lewis Hamilton |  | Mercedes | Mercedes | 1'13.706 | 0.097 | 242.210 |
| 3 |  Max Verstappen |  | Red Bull | Honda | 1'14.176 | 0.567 | 240.676 |
| 4 |  Pierre Gasly |  | AlphaTauri | Honda | 1'14.502 | 0.893 | 239.623 |
| 5 |  Daniel Ricciardo |  | Renault | Renault | 1'14.520 | 0.911 | 239.565 |
| 6 |  Alex Albon |  | Red Bull | Honda | 1'14.572 | 0.963 | 239.398 |
| 7 |  Charles Leclerc |  | Ferrari | Ferrari | 1'14.616 | 1.007 | 239.256 |
| 8 |  Daniil Kvyat |  | AlphaTauri | Honda | 1'14.696 | 1.087 | 239.000 |
| 9 | Lando Norris |  | McLaren | Renault | 1'14.814 | 1.205 | 238.623 |
| 10 |  Carlos Sainz Jr. |  | McLaren | Renault | 1'14.911 | 1.302 | 238.314 |
| 11 |  Sergio Perez |  | Racing Point | Mercedes | 1'15.061 | 1.452 | 237.838 |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon |  | Renault | Renault | 1'15.201 | 1.592 | 237.395 |
| 13 | George Russell |  | Williams | Mercedes | 1'15.323 | 1.714 | 237.011 |
| 14 |  Sebastian Vettel |  | Ferrari | Ferrari | 1'15.385 | 1.776 | 236.816 |
| 15 |  Lance Stroll |  | Racing Point | Mercedes | 1'15.494 | 1.885 | 236.474 |
| 16 | Romain Grosjean |  | Haas | Ferrari | 1'15.918 | 2.309 | 235.153 |
| 17 |  Kevin Magnussen |  | Haas | Ferrari | 1'15.939 | 2.330 | 235.088 |
| 18 | Kimi Raikkonen |  | Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 1'15.953 | 2.344 | 235.045 |
| 19 | Nicholas Latifi |  | Williams | Mercedes | 1'15.987 | 2.378 | 234.940 |
| 20 |  Antonio Giovinazzi |  | Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 1'16.208 | 2.599 | 234.258 |
| View full results | |||||||
F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying Q3 results
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Laps | Time | Gap | Interval | km/h | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valtteri Bottas |  | Mercedes | Mercedes | 6 | 1'13.609 | 242.530 | ||
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton |  | Mercedes | Mercedes | 6 | 1'13.706 | 0.097 | 0.097 | 242.210 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen |  | Red Bull | Honda | 6 | 1'14.176 | 0.567 | 0.470 | 240.676 |
| 4 | Pierre Gasly |  | AlphaTauri | Honda | 6 | 1'14.502 | 0.893 | 0.326 | 239.623 |
| 5 | Daniel Ricciardo |  | Renault | Renault | 6 | 1'14.520 | 0.911 | 0.018 | 239.565 |
| 6 | Alex Albon | | Red Bull | Honda | 6 | 1'14.572 | 0.963 | 0.052 | 239.398 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc |  | Ferrari | Ferrari | 6 | 1'14.616 | 1.007 | 0.044 | 239.256 |
| 8 | Daniil Kvyat |  | AlphaTauri | Honda | 6 | 1'14.696 | 1.087 | 0.080 | 239.000 |
| 9 | Lando Norris |  | McLaren | Renault | 6 | 1'14.814 | 1.205 | 0.118 | 238.623 |
| 10 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | | McLaren | Renault | 6 | 1'14.911 | 1.302 | 0.097 | 238.314 |
| View full results | |||||||||
F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying Q2 results
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Laps | Time | Gap | Interval | km/h | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valtteri Bottas |  | Mercedes | Mercedes | 6 | 1'14.585 | 239.356 | ||
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton |  | Mercedes | Mercedes | 6 | 1'14.643 | 0.058 | 0.058 | 239.170 |
| 3 | Pierre Gasly |  | AlphaTauri | Honda | 8 | 1'14.681 | 0.096 | 0.038 | 239.048 |
| 4 | Alex Albon | | Red Bull | Honda | 7 | 1'14.745 | 0.160 | 0.064 | 238.844 |
| 5 | Daniel Ricciardo | | Renault | Renault | 6 | 1'14.953 | 0.368 | 0.208 | 238.181 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen |  | Red Bull | Honda | 5 | 1'14.974 | 0.389 | 0.021 | 238.114 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | | Ferrari | Ferrari | 9 | 1'15.017 | 0.432 | 0.043 | 237.978 |
| 8 | Daniil Kvyat |  | AlphaTauri | Honda | 10 | 1'15.022 | 0.437 | 0.005 | 237.962 |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz Jr. |  | McLaren | Renault | 6 | 1'15.027 | 0.442 | 0.005 | 237.946 |
| 10 | Lando Norris |  | McLaren | Renault | 6 | 1'15.051 | 0.466 | 0.024 | 237.870 |
| 11 | Sergio Perez |  | Racing Point | Mercedes | 6 | 1'15.061 | 0.476 | 0.010 | 237.838 |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon |  | Renault | Renault | 6 | 1'15.201 | 0.616 | 0.140 | 237.395 |
| 13 | George Russell | | Williams | Mercedes | 8 | 1'15.323 | 0.738 | 0.122 | 237.011 |
| 14 | Sebastian Vettel |  | Ferrari | Ferrari | 10 | 1'15.385 | 0.800 | 0.062 | 236.816 |
| 15 | Lance Stroll |  | Racing Point | Mercedes | 6 | 1'15.494 | 0.909 | 0.109 | 236.474 |
| View full results | |||||||||
F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying Q1 results
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Laps | Time | Gap | Interval | km/h | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valtteri Bottas |  | Mercedes | Mercedes | 10 | 1'14.221 | 240.530 | ||
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | | Mercedes | Mercedes | 10 | 1'14.229 | 0.008 | 0.008 | 240.504 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen |  | Red Bull | Honda | 5 | 1'15.034 | 0.813 | 0.805 | 237.924 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc |  | Ferrari | Ferrari | 5 | 1'15.123 | 0.902 | 0.089 | 237.642 |
| 5 | Pierre Gasly | | AlphaTauri | Honda | 5 | 1'15.183 | 0.962 | 0.060 | 237.452 |
| 6 | Lando Norris |  | McLaren | Renault | 5 | 1'15.274 | 1.053 | 0.091 | 237.165 |
| 7 | Esteban Ocon | | Renault | Renault | 8 | 1'15.352 | 1.131 | 0.078 | 236.920 |
| 8 | Alex Albon |  | Red Bull | Honda | 8 | 1'15.402 | 1.181 | 0.050 | 236.762 |
| 9 | Sergio Perez | | Racing Point | Mercedes | 10 | 1'15.407 | 1.186 | 0.005 | 236.747 |
| 10 | Daniil Kvyat | | AlphaTauri | Honda | 5 | 1'15.412 | 1.191 | 0.005 | 236.731 |
| 11 | Daniel Ricciardo |  | Renault | Renault | 6 | 1'15.474 | 1.253 | 0.062 | 236.537 |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | | McLaren | Renault | 7 | 1'15.528 | 1.307 | 0.054 | 236.367 |
| 13 | Sebastian Vettel |  | Ferrari | Ferrari | 10 | 1'15.571 | 1.350 | 0.043 | 236.233 |
| 14 | George Russell |  | Williams | Mercedes | 10 | 1'15.760 | 1.539 | 0.189 | 235.644 |
| 15 | Lance Stroll |  | Racing Point | Mercedes | 10 | 1'15.822 | 1.601 | 0.062 | 235.451 |
| 16 | Romain Grosjean |  | Haas | Ferrari | 10 | 1'15.918 | 1.697 | 0.096 | 235.153 |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen |  | Haas | Ferrari | 11 | 1'15.939 | 1.718 | 0.021 | 235.088 |
| 18 | Kimi Raikkonen |  | Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 10 | 1'15.953 | 1.732 | 0.014 | 235.045 |
| 19 | Nicholas Latifi |  | Williams | Mercedes | 12 | 1'15.987 | 1.766 | 0.034 | 234.940 |
| 20 | Antonio Giovinazzi |  | Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 8 | 1'16.208 | 1.987 | 0.221 | 234.258 |
| View full results | |||||||||
F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying as it happened
Related video
Emilia Romagna GP: Bottas snatches pole from Hamilton
Bottas "had the shakes" after Imola pole lap
How getting sacked from Benetton made Mercedes' Allison
He’s had a hand in world championship-winning Formula 1 cars for Benetton, Renault and Mercedes, and was also a cog in the Schumacher-Ferrari axis. Having recently ‘moved upstairs’ as Mercedes chief technical officer, James Allison tells Stuart Codling about his career path and why being axed by Benetton was one of the best things that ever happened to him.
The remarkable qualities that propelled Kubica’s F1 comeback
It’s easy to look at Robert Kubica’s second Formula 1 career and feel a sense of sadness that he didn’t reach the heights for which he seemed destined. But as Ben Anderson discovered, performance and results are almost meaningless in this context – something more fundamental and incredible happened…
The humbling changes Ricciardo made to deliver for McLaren
From being lapped by his own teammate in Monaco to winning at Monza, it’s been a tumultuous first season at McLaren for Daniel Ricciardo. But, as he tells STUART CODLING, there’s more to the story of his turnaround than having a lovely summer holiday during Formula 1's summer break...
The potential benefits of losing the F1 constructors' title
As the battle continues to rage over the F1 2021 drivers' championship, teams up and down the grid are turning their attentions to the prize money attributed to each position in the constructors' standings. But F1's sliding scale rules governing wind tunnel and CFD use will soften the blow for those who miss out on the top places
The invisible enemy that's made Hamilton's title charge tougher
After winning his past few Formula 1 titles as a canter, Lewis Hamilton currently trails Max Verstappen by eight points heading into the final double-header of 2021. Although Red Bull has been his biggest on-track challenge, Hamilton feels that he has just as much to grapple with away from the circuit
Why F1's inconvenient penalties have to stay
OPINION: Quibbles over the length of time taken by Formula 1's stewards over decisions are entirely valid. But however inconvenient it is, there can be no questioning the importance of having clearly defined rules that everyone understands and can stick to. Recent events have shown that ambiguity could have big consequences
The mistakes Red Bull cannot afford to repeat in F1 2021's title fight climax
OPINION: Red Bull has had Formula 1’s fastest package for most of 2021, but in several of the title run-in events it has wasted the RB16B’s potential. It cannot afford to do so again with Lewis Hamilton motoring back towards Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings with two rounds remaining
Qatar Grand Prix driver ratings
Qatar was a virtual unknown for most as Formula 1 made its inaugural visit to the Gulf state, and tyre management quickly emerged as an even more critical factor than normal. Perhaps then it should come as no surprise that two of the championship's elder statesmen produced standout drives