Verstappen claims seventh pole position ahead of Emilia-Romagna GP
18th May 2024Feature Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has claimed his seventh pole position of the season to start the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at the head of the field.
The triple world champion put it all out on the table as the Dutchman secured his seventh pole position of 2024 at Imola after suffering trouble all weekend.
Ahead of qualifying, this weekend, Verstappen never secured anything higher than the fifth-fastest lap time, set in Free Practice 1. However, the three-time world champion lay down the gauntlet at the start of Q3.
This was later improved by the Dutchman to edge out his closest rival, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri who secured the second-fastest lap on the board, 0.074s off Verstappen.
While this stands as Verstappen’s seventh pole in 2024, it ties him with the overall record for most consecutive pole positions spanning from Abu Dhabi 2023 to Imola 2024.
Poetically, the driver whom Verstappen shares the record with is Ayrton Senna on the same weekend the sport remembers his passing, 30 years ago. The F1 legend secured his record with eight poles off the bounce from the Spanish Grand Prix in 1988 to the USA GP in 1989.
Speaking after qualifying, on Senna’s record, Verstappen said:
“Of course, it’s a great start to the year but also a very special- it’s 30 years since he [Senna] passed away at this track.
“Very pleased to get pole here, in a way it’s a nice memory to him, you know, he was an incredible Formula 1 driver – especially in qualifying laps as well.
“Great day for me, great day for the team so I’m very, very happy.”
Verstappen is set to start on pole position for the Grand Prix, which will start at 2pm (BST), with Oscar Piastri provisionally starting alongside him.
Piastri is currently under investigation for impeding Haas’ Kevin Magnussen in Q1 which saw the Dane being eliminated. Both Piastri and Magnussen have been summoned to the stewards for 6:15pm (local time).
Read more Formula 1 here:
- F1 Emilia-Romagna: Leclerc completes Friday clean sweep with fastest lap in Imola
- Tsunoda looks back at Imola floods ahead of Emilia-Romagna GP
- Mercedes F1 hoping new Imola upgrades push team ‘in the right direction’
- Albon extends his F1 stay with ‘multi-year contract’ at Williams
- Norris secures maiden win at F1 Miami Grand Prix
- Verstappen snatches sixth consecutive pole of 2024 in Miami GP
Give us a follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from the world of Motorsport! You can also support us on Patreon or on our website!
Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
