Remember how Charles Leclerc and Ferrari were being hyped up to take the pole at the Emilia Romagna GP as the Scuderia brought a massive upgrade package for the weekend? Also, Charles Leclerc topped both practice sessions on Friday. But it’s bad news all over for the Italian team, as Max Verstappen took the pole position. The Monegasque went on a ballistic rant as Max Verstappen got a hidden advantage. What was the advantage, and why did Leclerc go on a rant?

Max Verstappen and Red Bull arrived at the Imola GP to avenge their defeat in Miami, where the RB20 was never in the right working window. However, the weekend started where Verstappen left off in Miami, complaining about the car not being balanced, and lacking rear grip, as he made excursions onto the gravel multiple times. FP3 wasn’t different either, as the struggles continued.

Charles Leclerc was confident in front of Ferrari’s home crowd as he topped the timing sheets on Friday, and was looking competitive in FP3. Unfortunately, it all came crashing down for him in qualifying, as he was only able to manage P4, with both the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen in front of him. 

And now the reason behind Verstappen’s pole lap has been revealed. The Top 3 at Imola were covered by just 1 tenth. And during Max Verstappen’s final qualifying lap, where he improved by 1.5 tenths, he got a massive slipstream for Nico Hulkenberg down the main straight, which arguably gave him the pole position. Speaking about the same after Qualifying, Nico Hulkenberg said, “We (Max and him) have been helping each other out this quali. He helped me out a few times in Q2, and I returned the favor.”

Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, was left disappointed by his efforts and was surprised at how the others managed to find so much time. As Leclerc was told by his new race engineer, Bryan Bozzi, that he ended up in P4, Leclerc ranted on the radio and said, “F**k that…F**k that…. They all gained more than I thought in Q3.”

It might not be all bad news for the Monegasque, as Oscar Piastri might drop down some positions after his incident during the Emilia Romagna GP qualifying.

Oscar Piastri and Kevin Magnussen’s qualifying incident being investigated by FIA stewards; Charles Leclerc’s possible benefit

Imola is among the few F1 tracks on the calendar that can be considered an old-school track. While changes have been made over time, it retains the essence of an old track. It is very narrow and bumpy, with next to no run-off area, and gravel traps and barriers staring at the drivers. With multiple fast-sweeping corners, it is very difficult for a driver to make out if there’s a faster car behind him, and the race engineer’s role becomes ever more important.

In the Q1 session at Imola, Oscar Piastri was spotted impeding Kevin Magnussen, who was on a fast lap going into the Tamburello chicane. As a result, Magnussen was eliminated in Q1. The incident was noted by stewards and will be investigated after the race. As it happened, Magnussen let out a rant on the radio and said, “I can’t believe this man. It’s Unreal, Un-f**king-real”. Looking at the incident, it looks like a slam dunk penalty for Piastri, who will be dropped down the grid, promoting at least Leclerc, Norris, and Sainz.

What did you think of the qualifying at the Imola GP? Did you expect Max Verstappen to take the pole despite all the struggles?