IMOLA, Italy: Formula One world champion Max Verstappen took his first pole position of the season on Friday in a wet and crash-interrupted Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race at Imola.
Ferrari’s championship leader Charles Leclerc, thwarted by a late stoppage, will line up alongside the Red Bull driver on the front row for a 100km race that decides who starts first in Sunday’s main event.
Verstappen goes into the Formula One record books as the pole setter for the weekend, regardless of where he starts on Sunday. Last year the winner of the sprint was awarded pole instead.
“It was hectic but I am very happy to be here, it is an amazing track and it also really punishes you if you make a mistake, you can go into the wall,” said Verstappen, who has suffered two retirements in three races.
“I am really pleased with pole position but I know tomorrow and Sunday will be a bit different in terms of weather conditions.”
The winner of the sprint will take eight points instead of the three previously available.
Leclerc has a 34-point lead over Mercedes’ George Russell after winning twice, finishing second in the other and taking all three bonus points available for fastest laps.
“There’s everything to play for tomorrow and after tomorrow and we’ll give everything,” he said.
Each of Friday’s three qualifying phases had to be halted after incidents, with the red flags brought out five times in total and the entire session ending 40 minutes later than scheduled.
The pole contenders ultimately splashed around on intermediate tires and in plumes of spray.
The final stoppage, triggered by McLaren’s Lando Norris becoming stuck in the gravel, brought an end to the proceedings with 38 seconds remaining and the Briton qualifying a strong third.
“These conditions made a big difference for us today because if it was completely dry, we wouldn’t be in third place,” said Norris.
Kevin Magnussen was fourth for Haas, a position the delighted Dane said was ‘crazy’, ahead of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez qualified seventh and Valtteri Bottas eighth for Alfa Romeo. Sebastian Vettel starts ninth for Aston Martin.
Verstappen’s best time of one minute and 27.999 seconds was 0.779 quicker than Leclerc’s quickest, although the final session was interrupted three times.
“Max managed to take the lap at a critical moment,” commented Red Bull boss Christian Horner. “Obviously now the challenge will be what will the weather do tomorrow.”
Carlos Sainz had already spun and smashed his Ferrari into the tire barrier in the second stint, bringing out red flags and sending the Spaniard back to the paddock on a scooter. He qualified 10th.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton had scraped into that phase by the skin of his teeth, the seven-times world champion only 15th and just 0.004 of a second quicker than AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda on a drying track.
Russell also ran dangerously close to missing the early cut and both then failed to make the final top 10, the first time that had happened to the team since 2012.
“I think we underperformed as a team today,” said Hamilton.
Leclerc had been fastest in Q1, before the rain came, and ahead of Verstappen and Sainz. The Monegasque had also set the pace in practice.
Alex Albon failed to set a time after the right rear brake of his Williams caught fire with the tire then exploding, scattering flaming debris on the track and bringing out red flags.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon qualified 19th after a suspected gearbox problem.
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The Ivory Coast, who had 70 percent of possession in the first half, reduced the deficit eight minutes later when teenager Yann Diomande’s freekick near the corner took a slight brush off Kossounou’s head and ricocheted off the knee of full back Fatouh and into the net.
SALAH FINISHED OFF CLEVER MOVE
The Ivorians had come from 2-0 down to beat Gabon 3-2 earlier in the tournament but hopes of turning the scoreline around soon after the re-start were stymied by a simply created, but superbly finished, goal for Salah seven minutes after the break.
Rabia was well inside his own half when he chipped the ball over the top of the Ivorian defensive line, allowing Ashour to run onto it and hit an accurate pass with the outside of his right boot into the path of Salah to score.
An Ivorian comeback was still on when Doue touched home at the end of a goalmouth scramble in the 73rd minute.
That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance.
Earlier on Saturday, Nigeria overpowered Algeria 2-0 in Marrakech and will take on hosts Morocco in the other semifinal.
Verstappen ends pole wait at wet and chaotic Imola
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Verstappen ends pole wait at wet and chaotic Imola
- Ferrari's championship leader Charles Leclerc, thwarted by a late stoppage, will line up alongside the Red Bull driver
- Verstappen goes into the Formula One record books as the pole setter for the weekend
Marmoush, Salah strike as Egypt edge out holders Ivory Coast in quarter-final
- Egypt wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute
- That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance
AGADIR, Morocco: Omar Marmoush netted the opener and Mohamed Salah scored the decisive goal as Egypt ended Ivory Coast’s reign with a narrow 3-2 triumph in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.
Center back Rami Rabia was the other scorer for the Egyptians, who had little possession at the Grande Stade Agadir but took their chances with clinical precision and held on grimly to book a semifinal meeting with Senegal on Wednesday.
An own goal from Ahmed Fatouh and a late effort by Guela Doue proved insufficient for the Ivory Coast, winners of the tournament on home soil two years ago but now deposed as African champions.
Egypt, who have won a record seven Cup of Nations titles, wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute after Hamdi Fathy pinched the ball from Franck Kessie in the midfield, allowing Emam Ashour to thread a pinpoint ball to the sprinting Marmoush. He still needed to shrug off the attentions of defender Odilon Kossounou before slotting home.
But it quickly became clear the Ivorians were going to dominate possession, showing much more physical strength on the ball but without setting up clear chances.
Egypt went 2-0 up in the 32nd minute when Rabia rose above the defenders to head his side further ahead from a corner.
The Ivory Coast, who had 70 percent of possession in the first half, reduced the deficit eight minutes later when teenager Yann Diomande’s freekick near the corner took a slight brush off Kossounou’s head and ricocheted off the knee of full back Fatouh and into the net.
SALAH FINISHED OFF CLEVER MOVE
The Ivorians had come from 2-0 down to beat Gabon 3-2 earlier in the tournament but hopes of turning the scoreline around soon after the re-start were stymied by a simply created, but superbly finished, goal for Salah seven minutes after the break.
Rabia was well inside his own half when he chipped the ball over the top of the Ivorian defensive line, allowing Ashour to run onto it and hit an accurate pass with the outside of his right boot into the path of Salah to score.
An Ivorian comeback was still on when Doue touched home at the end of a goalmouth scramble in the 73rd minute.
That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance.
Earlier on Saturday, Nigeria overpowered Algeria 2-0 in Marrakech and will take on hosts Morocco in the other semifinal.
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