F1 LIVE | Who will qualify on pole position for the Grand Prix in Imola?

It's time for qualifying ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. Will Max Verstappen secure his second consecutive pole, or can this be prevented by one of the Mercedes drivers? Follow our liveblog below to find out! 

Liveblog

After three free practice sessions at the Italian circuit, a preliminary power balance between the top teams can already be made, but qualifying will definitively tell which driver and which car is the fastest at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

Red Bull v Mercedes?

For Red Bull and Honda, the first day at the Italian circuit was anything but trouble-free. Perez spun and crashed with Estaban Ocon during the first session, as Max Verstappen was forced to retire after just five laps in second practice. Red Bull racing lost valuable track time and data, leaving some uncertainty over the car's pace relative to Mercedes and the rest of the field.

With this in mind, the Silver Arrows knew exactly what to do. Valtteri Bottas was the fastest at the end of both sessions on Friday, but both drivers still seemed to anticipate a faster Red Bull for the Saturday and Sunday sessions. All in all, it will be up to Red Bull to find out whether they can maintain their lead over Mercedes and turn it into maximum points this weekend. Follow all the action in our live blog!

Midfield battle

Behind Mercedes and Red Bull Racing, a battle for third place is developing well. The two front-runners in Bahrain were McLaren and Ferrari, though it's expected that AlphaTauri might be able to challenge those two teams more. 

McLaren and Ferrari had many battles at Imola when this race was known as the San Marino Grand Prix. Will Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo be renewing the rivalry this season with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz? Everything will become clearer this weekend!