Summary

  • Oscar Piastri takes pole position for Emilia-Romagna GP

  • Verstappen second, Russell third, Norris fourth and Alonso fifth

  • Both Ferraris eliminated in Q2 in Imola

  • Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda OK after huge crash

  • Alpine's Colapinto also has big crash in Q1

  • Get involved: #bbcf1

Live Reporting

Lorraine McKenna

  1. 'Impressive by Hadjar'

    Ben Edwards
    F1 commentator on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    That's an impressive lap time by Isack Hadjar on the medium tyre.

  2. Hadjar to the top

    While Liam Lawson is running wide at Piratella, his fellow rookie team-mate Isack Hadjar rockets to the top of the timesheets on the medium tyres with a 1:15.508. The Frenchman is quicker than Charles Leclerc's Ferrari and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.

  3. Team radio - Lawson

    "I went quite wide at Turn Nine, so just check the floor. Right hand side."

  4. Will Colapinto keep Alpine seat?

    Do you think Franco Colapinto will do enough to keep the Alpine seat for the rest of the season? Thumb us your thoughts below.

    There's a mix of the C6 soft and C5 medium out on track at the moment, with the two top times clocked on the yellow rubber. Max Verstappen is quickest of the lot with a 1:15.579 followed by the McLarens pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

  5. 'Colapinto has an opportunity to shine'

    Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    I thought Franco Colapinto did a good job yesterday and the encouraging thing for him is that his team-mate Pierre Gasly was able to deliver a really good lap time in the Alpine.

    Colapinto will know that this car can work around this track and can deliver something really quite competitive.

    He's come in at a very good time and he's got an opportunity here to really shine.

  6. It was a clean Friday for Franco Colapinto in the Alpine, which a good start. The Argentine has five races to prove himself worthy of the seat. If he doesn't make the cut, well, who knows which driver will take over next. The 21-year-old has put down his first time of the day with a 1:17.203 on the softs.

  7. 'A good chance to see if Aston Martin have made some progress'

    Andrew Benson
    BBC F1 correspondent

    There are quite significant upgrades this weekend for Aston Martin. Lance Stroll was using them yesterday, not Fernando Alonso for a back-to-back comparison. Stroll wasn't exactly enthusiastic, he said the car felt the same. Both cars have the upgrades for the rest of the weekend and it's a good chance to see if Aston Martin have made some progress at last.

  8. Time on the board for Hamilton

    And bang on cue, here are the Aston Martins on the hard tyre. Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso blast a lap on the C4s and head back to base, just like Lando Norris.

    Lewis Hamilton is on a medium charge and offers up the first timed lap of the session. The seven-time world champion had a rough ride yesterday with the brakes on the Ferrari so will Saturday be any better? Hamilton's opening marker is a 1:16.963.

    Over at Sauber, Nico Hulkenberg has bolted on the C6 soft compound and clocks a 1:18.005.

  9. Latest upgrades for both Aston Martins

    Andrew Benson
    BBC F1 correspondent

    Aston Martin say both cars will run with the latest upgrade package for the rest of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend, after Lance Stroll ran the new spec and Fernando Alonso the old on Friday.

  10. 'So many questions that need answering'

    Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    McLaren do look like the dominant force in the pit-lane right now. We're yet to see if anyone is going to be able to sustain a proper championship against them, or is it going to come down to one of those two Papaya cars?

    There's so many questions that still need answering and I think it's going to be fascinating to watch it play out.

  11. Why has the C6 been introduced?

    Andrew Benson
    BBC F1 correspondent

    Isack HadjarGetty Images

    Pirelli has widened its range to six compounds this season, introducing a softest tyre - the C6 - that was originally intended only for street circuits, where tyre degradation is usually low.

    However, it has been decided to use it in Imola to try to add an extra dimension to the grand prix, hoping the softer range of compounds might shift the race away from from the standard one-stop strategy at the track.

  12. Your questions answered - what is the C6 tyre?

    Ask Me Anything

    BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team have been answering F1-related questions. Here’s one about the new C6 tyre.

    Pirelli have a new tyre compound for the 2025 season. The C6 is the softest slick tyre available to be used at certain tracks and has been introduced to offer better performances and more grip over a flying lap.

    The tyre was tested at last year’s Mexico City Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi post-season test.

    It will make its debut this weekend in Imola and will be used again at the Canadian Grand Prix.

    Pirelli said the tyre has been created “for use at tracks that stress the tyres the least”.

    There will be eight sets of the soft tyres available for each driver this weekend.

  13. Lando Norris was sent out on the C4 hard tyre for an exploratory lap by McLaren but the Briton is back in the garage now and taking it easy. It's a relaxing start to third practice in Italy.

  14. Strong Friday for Gasly

    Pierre GaslyGetty Images

    It's been a turbulent few weeks at Alpine, with team boss Oliver Oakes resigning and Jack Doohan being replaced by Franco Colapinto after only six races. So a clean and stress-free weekend is a must for the French team.

    It was only Friday practice but Pierre Gasly made a great start to his Imola preparations by finishing third in second practice. The Frenchman said the car was in a much better place from the first lap compared to last time out in Miami.

    Now the downside. Gasly picked up a small bit of damage to his front wing in first practice because he unfortunately struck a rabbit. And it was a big rabbit, he said, that was jumping across the track.

    As for qualifying today, Gasly reckons if Alpine can find a smidge more pace, a spot in Q3 could definitely be on the cars.

  15. What's the Imola weather forecast?

    Is it prime lolly ice weather in the Emilia-Romagna region for Saturday's qualifying?

    BBC weather forecaster Ian Fergusson has the details for us: "Air temperature 22C and the track 44.4C. Light variable wind, predominantly from the west-south-west.

    "Dry; showers have developed over uplands ~10-15km to the south west of the circuit.

    "FIA official risk of rain is 10% for this session."

    James HuntGetty Images

  16. Go! Go! Go!

    The European swing of the season means drivers have plenty of opportunities to bring along their four-legged friends to race weekends.

    Here's Leo Leclerc (in the blue harness, looking quite serious) and Simba Gasly having some fun in the Imola paddock.

    Off we go for one last practice session.

    Alpine's Pierre Gasly's dog Simboca and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc's dog Leo are seen playing before practice on SaturdayReuters
    Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly arrive at Imola before practice on SaturdayReuters

  17. How to listen on the BBC

    BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    A warm Saturday welcome to commentator Ben Edwards, former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley and F1 correspondent Andrew Benson.

    Both sessions today will be available on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and at the top of this page using the 'listen live' tab.

    You can also listen via most smart speakers. Just ask BBC Sounds to play Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, followed by 'practice three' for this session and 'qualifying' this afternoon.

  18. Tough day for the rookies

    Gabriel BortoletoGetty Images

    Two late red flags were shown during Friday's running as old-timer Imola punished rookie mistakes.

    Gabriel Bortoleto was the first to feel the wrath of the historic circuit, crashing his Sauber after suffering a snap of oversteer through the final corner which sent him on to the gravel and into the barriers.

    In second practice, Isack Hadjar triggered a stoppage when he became beached in the gravel at the exit of Tamburello after spinning off and going into the barriers. He did initially manage to get his Racing Bulls car going but yellow flags turned to red when the Frenchman failed to get himself back on track safely.

  19. Watch: 'Things will get better' - Hamilton

    'I have won more than any other driver in history' - Hamilton

    Lewis Hamilton is driving in a Ferrari on Italian soil for the first time this weekend, which should be a momentous event for the seven-time world champion.

    But speaking on Thursday, the 40-year-old said he has to "remind himself" that he has won more than "any other driver in history", after facing criticism for his start with the Scuderia.

  20. Who can challenge McLaren?

    Lewis HamiltonGetty Images

    While the margins weren't huge between McLaren and the rest of the front-runners, not many other drivers felt confident to challenge the drivers' and constructors' leaders after Friday's practice hours.

    Reigning world champion Max Verstappen said it was a tough day in the Red Bull office, adding the team are just not fast enough to compete at the moment. The Dutchman hit his steering wheel in frustration at one point, flagging to his pit wall the car felt like it was "drifting everywhere".

    A Ferrari victory would be the absolute dream for the Italian fans at Imola but the chances of of that happening appear to be very slim. The Scuderia were having brake issues throughout yesterday's session and Lewis Hamilton, who finished 11th in FP2, says the team's performance is a "lottery".

    "We will roll the dice," said the seven-time world champion. "We put on one and it works, put another one on and it doesn't and we'll see. I hope tomorrow we figure something out. We're working on it for sure."