In a thrilling qualifying round for the Spanish Grand Prix, Lando Norris clocked the fastest time. He was just two hundredths of a second faster than Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton secured the third fastest time and will start the race tomorrow alongside George Russell from the second row.
Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, and Carlos Sainz finished the three Spanish training sessions as the fastest, respectively. Therefore, it’s hard to predict who will take the pole position in the qualifying round. This is especially true as there’s only a one and a half tenth difference between the top five drivers in VT3.
In Q1, it quickly becomes clear that the differences at the top of the field are minimal. The competition is incredibly close. When everyone gears up for a fast lap in the final minutes, the difference between Hamilton’s fastest time and the 15th place, Lance Stroll, is less than eight tenths!
Drivers who concede more than this minimal difference are out of the race. As a result, we say goodbye to Kevin Magnussen, Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo, Alexander Albon, and Logan Sargeant. Tsunoda is clearly disappointed over the radio. The Japanese driver indicates that he had a good round, but his team informs him that he can start changing. The difference? Just 0.842 seconds.
In Q2, the elimination zone is even at half a second. Sergio Pérez just manages to secure his position in time and narrowly makes it to the final session. The mood is less cheerful in the Aston Martin garage. Both Fernando Alonso and Stroll are stranded, along with Nico Hülkenberg and both Stake F1 drivers. Then, the remaining ten drivers prepare for a thrilling final session. Given the close competition, it’s impossible to predict the top favorite. Verstappen pushes the RB20 hard and clocks the fastest time in the first part of Q3.
Then, the final minutes begin. Oscar Piastri makes a mistake and doesn’t get further than P10. The two Ferraris fall just short, and Verstappen sharpens his time. But then Norris takes a good seat and narrowly beats the reigning world champion. Hamilton and Russell drive to P3 and P4.
