Verstappen top qualifier at Imola, ties Senna with 8th straight pole

Max Verstappen secured a historic qualifying result at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday.

Verstappen earned an eighth consecutive pole, matching Ayrton Senna's all-time F1 record.

"It's very special," Verstappen said. "It's 30 years since he passed away at this track, so very pleased to get pole here. In a way, it's a nice memory to him, he was an incredible Formula 1 driver, especially in qualifying laps."

The Red Bull driver struggled during practice Friday but was once again at his best when it mattered.

"Really difficult weekend so far, so incredibly happy to be on pole here," Verstappen said. "I didn't expect that, but we made some changes before qualifying so I was able to push a bit harder."

McLaren's Oscar Piastri, racing in Imola for the first time in his F1 career, finished second. However, he still start fifth for Sunday's race after receiving a three-place grid penalty for impeding Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.

Sergio Perez was bounced in Q2 and will start 11th.

"If we're able to get into the points and minimize the damage (Sunday) that would be important," Perez said.

Fernando Alonso ran off in Q1 and will start at the back of the grid.

Verstappen won the last two races at Imola in 2022 and 2021. There was no race last season due to flooding in the region.