Verstappen claims pole amid F1 qualy chaos, Mercs suffer early exit

Max Verstappen claimed pole position in Emilia Romagna GP qualifying and will start at the front for Saturday's Sprint after outpacing Charles Leclerc in a dramatic damp shootout that played host to five red flags.

An incident-packed qualifying - taking place on Friday instead of Saturday and setting the grid for the returning Sprint race - ran 40 minutes past its scheduled finish due to the many Imola stoppages and crashes, the last of which benefiting Verstappen in Q3 at an opportune moment.

The world champion had edged ahead of Leclerc through the opening laps of Q3 before a red flag, and just when the championship leader had a chance to hit back, Lando Norris crashed to cause another stoppage.

With just 40 seconds remaining in qualifying, that effectively secured Verstappen's first pole of the season - with his 1:27.999 having been managed in difficult conditions as heavier rain fell in Q3.

He will head the grid for Saturday's Sprint, the shortened race that returns in 2022 after a debut three outings last year. The 21-lap race is live on Sky Sports F1 at 3.30pm on Saturday, and the winner will start on pole for Sunday's Emilia Romagna GP.

The late Norris Q3 crash also bizarrely aided the McLaren driver himself as it sealed his third place, ahead of Kevin Magnussen in Haas' best-ever qualifying result.

Emilia Romagna GP Qualifying: Top 101) Max Verstappen, Red Bull2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari3) Lando Norris, McLaren4) Kevin Magnussen, Haas5) Fernando Alonso, Alpine6) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren7) Sergio Perez, Red Bull8) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo9) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin10) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

Missing from Q3 were Carlos Sainz, with the Ferrari driver having spurned his chance of pole with another costly