F1 Emilia Romagna GP qualifying - Start time, how to watch & more
Valtteri Bottas was fastest from Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the end of Friday practice ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. Here’s how and when to watch qualifying.
Bottas topped both Friday practice sessions at Imola for Mercedes ahead of his team-mate Hamilton, as main Formula 1 world titles Red Bull struggled at the Italian circuit.
In the first session Sergio Perez clashed with Esteban Ocon in a session hit by technical issues that impacted both TV coverage, radio and data communications, with the issue later put down to a failure of a local fibre optic line.
The issues mounted up for Red Bull in the second practice session when Max Verstappen suffered power loss due to a driveshaft issue with his F1 car, forcing him to miss the majority of the session, and led the Dutch driver to concede he goes into the weekend “a little bit” on the back foot against Mercedes.
With AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly impressing to take third place in FP2, a positive day for Ferrari was dampened late on by a crash for Charles Leclerc, but team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr was still able to take fourth place directly ahead of the Monegasque driver in fifth.
Life adapting to F1 continues to remain tricky for Nikita Mazepin, following a spin and a crash in FP1, with the Haas driver ending the day in last place and over half a second off team-mate Mick Schumacher.
Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT02, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
What time does qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix start?
Qualifying for Emilia Romagna GP starts at 2pm local time (1pm BST), using the regular Q1, Q2 and Q3 knockout session format.
Both the final practice session and qualifying at Imola have been moved forward by one hour to avoid clashing with the Royal funeral service of Prince Philip.
The Duke of Edinburgh died at the age of 99 last Friday, with the British Royal funeral taking place in Windsor at 3pm on Saturday.
In line with multiple other sports, F1 and the FIA has confirmed the Emilia Romagna GP schedule has been altered “out of respect” to avoid running at the same time as the funeral.
Qualifying will now start at 2pm local time (1pm BST), with FP3 starting at 11am local time (10am BST) to comply with F1 regulations to provide a two-hour gap between the end of final practice and the start of qualifying.
Date: Saturday 17 April 2021
Start time: 2pm local time - 1pm BST
Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR21
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
How can I watch qualifying?
In the United Kingdom every F1 practice, qualifying and race is broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with qualifying coverage starting at 12pm BST.
Autosport will be running a live text coverage of qualifying here. [https://www.autosport.com/f1/live-text/f1-bahrain-gp-live-commentary-and-updates-fp3-and-qualifying/951898/]
When can I watch the highlights?
In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of qualifying for the Emilia Romagna GP at 7:30pm BST on Saturday. The full programme will run for 90 minutes, covering both qualifying and wrapping up the major talking points of the race weekend so far.
For the entire 2021 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race on the Saturday and Sunday of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.
· Channel: Channel 4
· Start time: 7:30pm BST
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Will it be on the radio?
Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2021 F1 season will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC 5 Live Sports Extra or via the BBC Sport website.
Coverage of the Emilia Romagna GP qualifying will start at 1:00pm BST via the BBC Sport website.
What's the weather forecast for qualifying at Imola?
Sunny and cloudy conditions are forecast for Saturday afternoon at Imola but it is expected to remain dry throughout. Temperatures are set to be 14 degrees Celsius at the start of qualifying – around 15 degrees cooler than qualifying for the Bahrain GP.
Emilia Romagna GP FP2 results
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | Mercedes | 1'15.551 | |
| 2 |  Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Mercedes | 1'15.561 | 0.010 |
| 3 |  Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | Honda | 1'15.629 | 0.078 |
| 4 |  Carlos Sainz Jr. | Ferrari | Ferrari | 1'15.834 | 0.283 |
| 5 |  Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | Ferrari | 1'16.371 | 0.820 |
| 6 |  Sergio Perez | Red Bull | Honda | 1'16.411 | 0.860 |
| 7 |  Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | Honda | 1'16.419 | 0.868 |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | Mercedes | 1'16.485 | 0.934 |
| 9 |  Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 1'16.513 | 0.962 |
| 10 |  Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | Mercedes | 1'16.737 | 1.186 |
| View full results | |||||
Emilia Romagna GP FP1 results
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | Mercedes | 1'16.564 | |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Mercedes | 1'16.605 | 0.041 |
| 3 |  Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Honda | 1'16.622 | 0.058 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | Ferrari | 1'16.796 | 0.232 |
| 5 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | Honda | 1'16.888 | 0.324 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Ferrari | Ferrari | 1'16.888 | 0.324 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | Renault | 1'17.457 | 0.893 |
| 8 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | Mercedes | 1'17.489 | 0.925 |
| 9 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | Mercedes | 1'17.739 | 1.175 |
| 10 |  Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | Mercedes | 1'17.769 | 1.205 |
| View full results | |||||
Related video
Horner: Aston Martin ‘a little naive’ to expect F1 aero rule tweaks
Ferrari’s Imola practice pace "not a shock" to Norris
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow
Connecting two of Ferrari's favourite F1 sons
Gilles Villeneuve's exploits behind the wheel of a Ferrari made him a legend to the tifosi, even 40 years after his death. The team's current Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc enjoys a similar status, and recently got behind the wheel of a very special car from the French-Canadian’s career
How a 30cm metal wire triggered open warfare in the F1 paddock
Porpoising has become the key talking point during the 2022 Formula 1 season, as teams battle to come to terms with it. An FIA technical directive ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix and a second stay appearing on the Mercedes cars only served to create a bigger debate and raise tensions further
Does Verstappen have any weaknesses left?
Having extended his Formula 1 points lead with victory in Canada, Max Verstappen has raised his game further following his 2021 title triumph. Even on the days where Red Bull appears to be second best to Ferrari, Verstappen is getting the most out of the car in each race. So, does he have any weaknesses that his title rivals can exploit?
How F1's future fuels can shape the automotive sector
In 2026, Formula 1 plans to make the switch to a fully sustainable fuel, as the greater automotive world considers its own alternative propulsion methods. Biogasoline and e-fuels both have merit as 'drop-in' fuels but, equally, both have their shortcomings...
The breakthrough behind Sainz’s best weekend of F1 2022 so far
OPINION: Carlos Sainz came close to winning in Monaco but needed that race’s specific circumstances for his shot at a maiden Formula 1 victory to appear. Last weekend in Canada, he led the line for Ferrari in Charles Leclerc’s absence from the front. And there’s a key reason why Sainz has turned his 2022 form around
Canadian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Plenty of high scores but just a single perfect 10 from the first Montreal race in three years, as Max Verstappen fended off late pressure from Carlos Sainz. Here’s Autosport’s assessment on the Formula 1 drivers from the Canadian Grand Prix