Charles Leclerc claimed pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix at the chequered flag after spinning on his first attempt in Q3.
The Ferrari driver claimed his second consecutive pole ahead of championship rival Max Verstappen, after the Red Bull driver lost power in his car on his final flying lap.
Carlos Sainz Jnr took third on the grid, ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell and Sergio Perez in fifth. Lewis Hamilton will start tomorrow’s race from sixth position.
Q1
Track temperatures were approaching 50C under the baking hot Spanish sun when the pit lane opened for the first phase of qualifying in Barcelona. Zhou Guanyu was the first to venture onto the circuit, with Pierre Gasly also taking to the track after car problems limited his running in third practice.
Lando Norris had to take avoiding action on his way out of the pits when Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin appeared to be released directly in front of the McLaren. The stewards will investigate the incident after the race.
The two Red Bulls of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen were the first of the front runners to take to the track, with the world champion’s first effort over three tenths faster than his team mate. They were then usurped by the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr, who moved to the top of the times.
Nearing the end of the session, Mick Schumacher was sitting in the drop zone in 18th, but managed to improve on his next lap to jump into the top ten, with Gasly also improving to move out of the drop zone. That left the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso under threat, but Alonso caught traffic at the chicane on his out-lap, getting stuck behind Norris who was about to start a lap. Alonso abandoned the run, which would mean he was eliminated from the very first session.
Also knocked out were Sebastian Vettel in 16th, ahead of Alonso and Aston Martin team mate Lance Stroll in 18th. The two Williams of Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi were the last drivers eliminated, occupying…