Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas was imperious in qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, taking pole position by more than half a second.
Valtteri Bottas has claimed pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix. The Finn put in an emphatic 1:15.406 on his first flying lap in the Q3 session, a time that remained untouchable for anyone else. This included his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who could only manage a 1:16.0 to finish more than half a second behind Bottas.
Bottas’ time is a new track record for the circuit. With the two Mercedes drivers enjoying a pole position battle to themselves, this was due to Ferrari struggling to find the outright pace to match them. Sebastian Vettel finished in P3, 0.866 down on Bottas’ time.
Ferrari’s cause was not helped by Charles Leclerc running wide on the exit of Turn Nine, which damaged his car and resulted in the Monogasque remaining in the pits for the first runs in Q3.
The session proved a disappointing one for McLaren, with home favourite Carlos Sainz running off on his flying lap in Q2 the end his chances of progressing to the final shootout.
CharlesLeclerc eventually emerged to set his lap time, but not only was he 1.18 seconds off the front, he could not force his way in front of the Red Bull of Max Verstappen as he slotted into fifth.
Spanish Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from the qualifying hour for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
1. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 1m15.406s
2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport + 0.634s
3. Sebastian Vettel GER Scuderia Ferrari + 0.866s
4. Max Verstappen NED Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda + 0.951s
5. Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari + 1.182s
6. Pierre Gasly FRA Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda + 1.302s
7. Romain Grosjean FRA Rich Energy Haas F1 Team + 1.505s
8. Kevin Magnussen DEN Rich Energy Haas F1 Team + 1.516s
9. Daniil Kvyat RUS Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda + 2.167s
10. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Renault F1 Team + 2.700s
— FASTEST TIME IN Q2: 1m15.924
11. Alexander Albon THA Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda + 1.414s
12. Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team + 1.521s
13. Carlos Sainz ESP McLaren F1 Team + 1.675s
14. Kimi Raikkonen ITA Alfa Romeo Racing + 1.864s
15. Sergio Perez MEX SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team + 1.962s
— FASTEST TIME IN Q1: 1m16.979s
16. Nico Hulkenberg GER Renault F1 Team + 1.425s
17. Lance Stroll CAN SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team + 1.492s
18. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing + 1.685s
19. George Russell GBR ROKiT Williams Racing + 2.093s
20. Robert Kubica POL ROKiT Williams Racing + 3.275s
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