Piastri pips Verstappen for pole as Tsunoda and Colapinto crash in qualifying

45 comments on “Piastri pips Verstappen for pole as Tsunoda and Colapinto crash in qualifying”

1. 

   baasbas
   17th May 2025, 16:54

   ok, who of you did an actual face palm when that crashed Alpine appeared in shot
   1. 

      BLS (@brightlampshade)
      17th May 2025, 16:56

      It was quite poignant with the exposed wishbone at that corner.
2. 

   Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
   17th May 2025, 16:55

   I can’t believe how a sport like F1 can spend minutes reviewing if Ollie Bearman’s laptime was before the red flag or after. It’s an electronic system. Someone surely presses a button and decides it’s a red flag situation. That has a time stamp. Just like Ollie’s lap, right? so is it inside or outside? the margin of error must be like 0.0001 secs… how can it take so long (and potentially get it wrong) ?
   1. 

      Mach1 (@mach1)
      17th May 2025, 17:02

      I thought the same thing. They could clear a crash and re-set the track quicker than working out of he crossed the line before the redflag came out.
   2. 

      S Arkazam
      17th May 2025, 17:11

      Someone surely presses a button and decides it’s a red flag situation.

      I assume Haas protested that the (visible) LED panels did not flash red before he passed the finish line.
      So the stewards had to check the appropriate video footage.

      Not sure what they did after those 10s though. ;)
3. 

   Alonslow
   17th May 2025, 17:04

   Oscar is truly delivering, not surprised, he’s one of the few F3/F2 champion rookies but last year wasn’t too great, he has really improved this year, racecraft, race pace, qualy pace, he’s far beyond his 2024 self.

   Max is doing his stuff like most days, always there going fast even if on the race it may be hopeless.

   George had a nice lap on the ‘mediums’, not his greatest fan but he’s quick so props to him putting the Merc 3rd.

   And about Lando, entering the year he had easily beat Oscar in 2024 both races and qualy, started 2025 at pole, winning the race with Oscar almost out, a 23 points advantage, from that to not getting another pole or win for the next 5 races and likely 6 soon, he may not admit it but he’s feeling the pressure of being the WDC ‘favorite’ for sure.
   1. 

      Esploratore (@esploratore1)
      17th May 2025, 17:08

      Yes, and now the favourite is piastri, in fact he already was a couple races ago.
   2. 

      S Arkazam
      17th May 2025, 17:13

      You are spot on re. Oscar, Max, and Piastri.
      You forgot about Alonotsoslow ;)
   3. 

      OOliver
      17th May 2025, 17:42

      Meanwhile Norris is gradually removing himself from the equation.
   4. 

      David BR (@david-br)
      17th May 2025, 18:07

      At this point in the season, it seems like Piastri actually wants to become world champion, unlike his team mate. Impressive to beat Verstappen today. Likewise Verstappen and Russell both sticking with the McLarens and trying to make a fight of it. Albon, Gasly, Sainz and Hadjar all continuing their good seasons.
   5. 

      Alonso (@alonshow)
      17th May 2025, 18:12

      Interesting choice of user name. Sounds like a pun on my own user name. For what it’s worth, though, Alonshow has nothing to do with Fernando Alonso. I am Alonshow. My real life name is Alonso. Alonshow is my user name of choice for all my internet accounts. It’s a nickname a friend gave me before Fernando Alonso was even an F1 driver (so yeah, a long, long time ago).
      1. 

         Alonslow
         17th May 2025, 18:25

         This one is actually because of Fernando and him being the oldest driver around since Kimi retired so he got ‘Slow’, even though he’s quite fast still, at least faster than Stroll.
4. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   17th May 2025, 17:12

   What a lengthy qualifying.
   Piastri getting pole position was good for his winning streak continuation chance & Norris dropped the ball again.
   Pure driver errors by Tsunoda & Colapinto, with the former being unnecessarily aggressive with corner-cutting & Colapinto failed to back off when the left wheels got above grass.
   For that matter, Hadjar lifted immediately at the Tamburello 2 exit when getting on the grass.
   Medium use in qualifying was ultimately unsurprising.
   Williams has clearly become a regular Q3 contender.
   An unnecessarily lengthy process regarding Bearman’s timing line crossing relative to red deployment.
   1. 

      Jere (@jerejj)
      17th May 2025, 17:14

      I forgot to add, what a Q2 by Ferrari & Antonelli.
5. 

   RH
   17th May 2025, 17:13

   Oscar is clear favorite for WDC. I still think Lando is faster than him in the races (Miami was evidence of that) but whatever Lando is doing is not helping himself. Clearly a good bottler.

   Verstappen had half a tenth left in the lap I think but Piastri’s theoretical lap time is still quicker. So no surprise, McLaren is on pole.

   Since inside line is P1 here, OP will just fly off into the distance while MV is likely to be focused on holding off GR and at some point LN will also pass them both.

   Expect a very similar result to Miami barring random VSC’s that give free spots like they did to RUS last weekend.
   1. 

      Leo B
      17th May 2025, 17:18

      In Miami OP was pacing himself out in front and cruising to conserve tyres. He would have picked up speed if he needed to.
      1. 

         RH
         17th May 2025, 21:42

         There was not much pacing going on. Both were pushing till the end. You can check the data at F1 Tempo.

         That said, there’s a repeated pattern many have noted on the technical forums about Oscar’s tire management. Towards the end of the stints he suffers more. This is consistent in every race. Lando has a fair edge there.

         That said it doesn’t matter if Lando fails to qualify ahead of Piastri because the latter’s pace advantage isn’t high enough to pass Piastri on track.
   2. 

      Ideals (@ideals)
      17th May 2025, 17:41

      I don’t see how Norris could possible be considered faster in races when Oscar has won all but two of them this season and Lando has won only one and I’m pretty sure team orders kept Piastri behind at that one. Granted, Piastri was then a bit unluckier when they both went off in the tricky conditions, but I don’t think we can hold that one against him.

      Regardless, evidence points to Oscar being the better qualifier and the better race performer by every metric that actually counts (being the results at the end). So we’ll see tomorrow, but if Oscar wins again, it’s about time for Stella and Zak to have a sit down with Lando and Oscar so the Papaya rules can be adapted with Lando performing the 2nd driver duties going forward. Max is too close and only a successful upgrade away from being a challenger at the back half, so if it’s five to one in race wins as we near a third of races done, it’s time to call it and get that discussion over with quickly to secure a guaranteed WDC.
      1. 

         RH
         17th May 2025, 21:44

         I don’t consider any driver fast or slow. I simply stare at the data and make my conclusions, many of the times adjusting for other factors. Feel free to use F1 tempo or other websites with lap wise data for all races. You’ll see what I mean by Lando is quicker. It’s not enough in the end. This year the name of the game is qualifying as far as the Orange cars go.
         1. 

            Mooa42
            18th May 2025, 1:30

            While I haven’t checked the lap time data, in Miami after the race, Oscar said he had trouble on the hards and preferred the medium and Lando said the opposite. Oscar said he was glad he built such a buffer while on the medium. I’d be interested to see their data on the mediums
6. 

   Leo B
   17th May 2025, 17:15

   Oscar P has climbed the top peak crag by crag and established himself on the top step at McLaren all by himself. No team orders to help him. Norris must accept the role of wingman henceforth.
   This also removes tensions in the team, not least for Stella, who must have running low on blood pressure tablets.
   1. 

      Biggsy
      17th May 2025, 17:27

      I’m not sure about Stella.
      All he needs to do, is take one glance at Ferrari, and he’ll immediately be filled with relief that he doesn’t have to deal with any of that.
      That said, when he was there, in the Schumacher’s and Alonso’s years, Ferrari was known for extracting maximum from every weekend, and always somehow being in the contention, no matter if they weren’t there on pure pace.
      These days… Ferrari is trying hard not to accidentally extract anything more than bare minimum from a race weekend.
      1. 

         Esploratore (@esploratore1)
         18th May 2025, 2:03

         Yes, unfortunately true about ferrari, not even being able to get into q3 with the 2 drivers they have is embarrassing.
   2. 

      Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
      18th May 2025, 11:16

      Well whatever your comment they went be doing that, they didn’t last year when Lando was anhead much deeper into the year and they won’t this. No one has to accept anything after 6 races in a 24 race season.
7. 

   MichaelN
   17th May 2025, 17:32

   Any time now Vasseur will say they have nothing to learn from today.

   It’s starting to get worse than Binotto. The 2025 car is a failure and the team operations isn’t helping.
   1. 

      OOliver
      17th May 2025, 17:41

      When the Ferrari took out the eraser to clean out the bad parts about last year’s car, it seems they accidentally erased the speed.
   2. 

      Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
      17th May 2025, 18:11

      MichaelN,
      From the very moment Vasseur was announced as Ferrari’s team principal, I was skeptical right here on this forum. For me, he has always been a B-class team principal. Hardly the transformative figure Ferrari needed during such a critical period. At that time, the only two A-class team principals were Christian Horner and Toto Wolff whom for the record I cannot stand. The idea that Flavio Briatore would return fulltime to F1 was out of discussion back then.

      Vasseur’s failure to sign Newey, and his rationale that “the team matters more than the individual,” perfectly encapsulates his mediocre approach. At Ferrari, the main issue has been the absence of a technical director figure: someone who can define the overall philosophy of the car’s design and development. Instead, Vasseur put his faith in Loïc Serra, a suspension specialist from Mercedes, expecting him to fill that critical void. It’s a remarkably short-sighted decision.

      The fact that Ferrari has already overhauled the design of what was an already competitive car just, the SF-24, before a significant rule change in 2026 tells you everything you need to know about the state of chaos with regard to the technical leadership at Maranello.Ferrari needs to sign Christian Horner before the opportunity slips away.

      And speaking of Newey, it’s no coincidence that AM returned to Q3 after 2 and half months he’s been working with them after being among the slowest teams earlier this season just ahead of Sauber.
      1. 

         MichaelN
         17th May 2025, 20:35

         I remember reading that, and hoping you were wrong. I was a bit more optimistic because Vasseur has a pretty impressive resume. But that wasn’t in F1, and it’s starting to show.

         Ferrari will always have a slightly tougher time building a strong team because it’s just much easier to swap between the English teams than it is to go to Italy. It’s unfortunate, but as you note, sometimes you only need a handful of people to set the direction. I’m less enthused about Newey, who is not far from being 70 years old, but his record is very strong and Aston Martin will certainly benefit from him being there.

         But there has to be more talent out there. McLaren’s success is in some ways inspiring, because while Stella is really good at what he does, I think it’s still fair to say they don’t have all-time greats at their team. And they evidently don’t need them, so fair play!
         1. 

            Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
            17th May 2025, 23:40

            MichaelN,

            McLaren’s success is in some ways inspiring, because while Stella is really good at what he does, I think it’s still fair to say they don’t have all-time greats at their team

            I have to disagree with you on this one. Back in 2022, I wrote a detailed comment here about Rob Marshall often overlooked but an absolute master of suspension design. Unfortunately, I can’t find it quickly, because RaceFans no longer provides a comment history, and I’m don’t know why that feature was removed.

            The RB18’s suspension was one of the car’s key strengths and the primary reason why it was largely immune to porpoising. For the record, the overall suspension layout, both front and rear, was designed by Newey himself, the mechanical components and their execution certainly were Rob Marshall’s expertise.

            Since 2014, Ferrari has struggled with mechanical grip, they were light years behind RBR and Mercedes in suspension innovation as demonstrated by Piola’s technical analysis. He was very vocal about it for the last at least 7 or seasons. Mauro Forghieri highlighted these issues back in 2014 when all the critics were directed to the weak PU, noting that even a strong PU wouldn’t be enough without solving fundamental mechanical weaknesses.

            I have always stressed that Ferrari should have prioritized hiring Rob Marshall if he was available. I never thought he was and then in May 2023 it was announced that he’ll be moving to McLaren. Another failure from Ferrari and Vasseur to sign an engineer that has contributed significantly in championship winning cars at Benetton, Renault and RBR.

            Ever since McLaren introduced their upgrade package in Miami 2024, they’ve been consistently competitive, showing a clear edge in tyre management. Starting to feel like déjà vu, isn’t it?

            What truly baffles me, and is beyond my understanding, is how so many of us, casual fans like me included, have been able to clearly identify the core issues plaguing Ferrari for years: strategy, operations, poor decision making, car development… I’ve seen countless insightful comments here pointing out exactly where things have gone wrong since Ferrari stopped winning.

            And yet, the people actually in charge at Maranello seem completely clueless and not only unaware of what’s really happening, but incapable of providing any real solutions. These 17 title-less years have been nothing short of frustrating.
            1. 

               MichaelN
               18th May 2025, 7:23

               Yes, you’re right, Marshall was a great hire for McLaren.

               Back in 2022 Red Bull had a clear advantage on tyre management, barely any porpoising, which even led to some talking about a sort of legal recreation of the active suspension.

               That’s the sort of ingenuity Ferrari lacks. They’re not outright bad, but Ferrari never has that little bit extra. They’ve long had one of the three best cars, but it’s never straight up the best. It’s quite frustrating.
         2. 

            Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
            17th May 2025, 23:49

            MichaelN,
            I have written this comment shortly before he was announced at McLaren, but there were other comments for sure in 2022.
      2. 

         Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
         18th May 2025, 11:18

         Well if he is B class he is at the right team. Bar the MS years they’re been a mid field team for 50 years and that will likely be the story of the next 50
   3. 

      Tommy C (@tommy-c)
      18th May 2025, 0:51

      Such a shame as Ferrari appeared to be on the ascendancy towards the end of last year. I was looking forward to seeing them challenge at the front this year. I don’t hold much hope for the rest of this season with the regs change for next year.
8. 

   Hendy (@hendy)
   17th May 2025, 17:47

   It would be great to get the tire compounds in these tables.
   1. 

      Lewisham Milton
      17th May 2025, 18:38

      Instead of the driver.
9. 

   Hendy (@hendy)
   17th May 2025, 17:49

   “Alonso used his medium tyres again to secure an excellent fifth place ahead of Sainz, Albon and team mate Stroll.”

   The broadcast noted he was on used mediums.
   1. 

      dan
      17th May 2025, 19:13

      @hendy

      Which is what he said, Alonso used his medium tyres “again”
10. 

    Edvaldo
    17th May 2025, 17:51

    Piastri is doing exactly what a team would expect of a leader. He even got traffic on the last sector, left some time there, he had this excuse in case Max took the pole, but fortunately for him, it was still good enough.

    Norris on the other hand is looking like a glorified wingman. Can look good sometimes but never when it matters.
    1. 

       bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
       17th May 2025, 19:00

       Yeah, it’s still very early in the season, but so far Oscar is looking like a safer pair of hands.
    2. 

       MichaelN
       17th May 2025, 20:38

       I haven’t looked into it, but I wonder how much of this is Piastri stepping up – or Norris just having a rough season.

       Maybe it’s a bit of both. Before this year, Piastri usually lost to Norris in qualifying (albeit it by small margins, the head to head score looked much worse than it was) and that set him up for a tougher race.

       He’s certainly doing a great job.
       1. 

          Mooa42
          18th May 2025, 1:43

          I haven’t looked into it, but I wonder how much of this is Piastri stepping up – or Norris just having a rough season.

          I think a little from column A and a bit more from column B. Norris doesn’t look as comfortable in the car as he did last year and has said as much. The thing i like most about both of them is that when they communicate they always appear honest about their performances, good bad or otherwise.
    3. 

       Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
       18th May 2025, 11:19

       A lot of people seem to be delighting in Lando being over shadowed. Is it the Brit thing ?
11. 

    PeteB (@peteb)
    17th May 2025, 20:19

    McLaren were too slow past year to favour Norris. I wonder how long it’ll be before Piastri is given the number 1 spot for the season?
    1. 

       PeteB (@peteb)
       17th May 2025, 20:19

       *last year regarding Norris
12. 

    Tommy C (@tommy-c)
    18th May 2025, 0:48

    What a fantastic qualifying session! Glad Yuki and Franco are OK after their respective shunts. I thought the traffic in the final sector might have been Oscar’s undoing but yet again he delivered the goods! The grid is certainly poised for an entertaining race!

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