2024 F1 Imola GP qualifying: Top 5 conclusions

The 2024 F1 Imola GP qualifying was a thrilling affair, and it culminated with Max Verstappen on pole position for the eighth consecutive time. The driver has now equaled the record for the most consecutive poles and is level with Ayrton Senna.

The qualifying was by no means straightforward. It began with Max Verstappen already in a spot of bother as Red Bull had not been comfortable since the start of the F1 Imola GP race weekend. Then we had Ferrari bringing a massive upgrade package to the car, while McLaren had the momentum of a win in Miami.

In a closely contested battle, it was Verstappen who came out on top and shut down quite a few doubters who questioned if the results were down to the car he had. In P2 for the race weekend, we will have Oscar Piastri, who had an overall positive run.

In P3, we had Lando Norris, who was less than a tenth slower than Verstappen. In P4 and P5, we have the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who would be a bit disappointed with the overall result. With the grid for the F1 Imola GP set, what did we learn? Let's take a look.

2024 F1 Imola GP qualifying: Key takeaways

#1 Max Verstappen and Red Bull is the best combination in F1

If there was ever any doubt about how good Max Verstappen and Red Bull are, the F1 Imola GP weekend should give the answer for that. The car was a massive struggle for the driver throughout Friday, but the team worked hard and found the right solution.

The tow from Hulkenberg helped Verstappen on his pole lap, but one cannot take away the fact that the driver was looking at P5 as a possible result before he turned things around.

Red Bull and Max Verstappen continue to be the benchmarks in F1, even though the gap has certainly decreased.

#2 McLaren is a legitimate frontrunner now

Lando Norris was smiling from ear to ear after qualifying because, more than anything else, it proved that Miami was not a fluke. McLaren had the car to be competitive here, and in all fairness, a pole was certainly on the table. Now that Norris has a car capable of fighting Verstappen, he needs to start beating him and take the next step toward a possible title bid.

#3 Ferrari should not be too disappointed at F1 Imola GP

Shoulders might have dropped at Ferrari after the much-hyped upgrade did not yield as big an advantage as was theorized. This might be a lesson for the team to now focus more on the car and keeping the Italian media away.

Having said that, being just a tenth or two behind the pole position is still impressive. Make no mistake, Ferrari is still in contention in the F1 Imola GP, one good race start, and the team could even fight for the win on Sunday.

#4 Yuki Tsunoda in place of Sergio Perez/Lance Stroll in 2025?

Seven races into the season, there's one thing that can be safely said, Yuki Tsunoda has more or less proved himself and deserves a promotion. Whether that promotion is to a future Honda customer, Aston Martin, or it is to Red Bull, that's up to the senior members to decide, but the Japanese driver now deserves a better seat.

He has outshone Daniel Ricciardo quite comprehensively once again, and this should be enough to give him the opportunity to do better things.

#5 Aston Martin is in serious trouble now

Aston Martin is in serious trouble now because not only do the upgrades almost never work, but the drivers are starting to lose motivation. Lance Stroll is just not worthy of a seat in a team that has designs of a title challenge in the future. Fernando Alonso, on the other hand, is in a mode where he's just trying too hard.

The Spaniard is not known for crashing cars, but this weekend he's done it far too many times. The team needs to address this slide before it starts going the Alpine way.