Ferrari takes two of the top three starting positions as Mercedes, Red Bull, and Haas have both drivers positioned in the top ten.
BARCELONA, Spain—Charles Leclerc took advantage of a loss of power from Max Verstappen’s Red Bull to correct an earlier spin and record a 1:18:780 best time on Saturday to take the pole at the Circuit de Catalunya for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix. It was his first pole at that circuit and his fourth pole of the season. Carlos Sainz Jr. made the home fans happy by taking third.
Both Leclerc and Verstappen have battled each other this season, and Saturday’s qualifying was no different.
Both drivers took one session before the showdown in the last 10-minute period. Leclerc went too quickly into the final chicane and spun his Ferrari. The Monegasque had to enter the pits and had one more try to take the pole.
Leclerc’s luck was rewarded as Verstappen, who had a clear road ahead of him, suddenly complained to his pit crew that his car had lost power. Leclerc returned to the circuit to get the best lap of the weekend and start the front row with his Dutch rival.
“I feel good. It was a very difficult session, especially in Q3, as I made a mistake on the first run, and then I only had one lap,” said Leclerc afterward. “But it went exceptionally well. I am in a solid position to start the race, but I’ve been struggling with tires compared to Red Bull, so we will lose that win if we don’t manage those tires well. So, we need to get on top of it and do a good job tomorrow with tire management.”
Mercedes had two drivers qualify in the top ten, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton taking fourth and sixth. The Haas team did well, too, as Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher finished eighth and tenth.
Although Sainz Jr. made the fans glad they came and supported him, it was not so lucky for veteran Spaniard Fernando Alonso. The latter exited the opening session when McLaren’s Lando Norris blocked him. Stewards felt that Alonso was not going fast enough to begin a flying lap, and no further action was taken. Joining Alonso was the Aston Martin duo of Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel, along with the pair of Williams drivers, Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi.
It was not a good day for Alpine as Esteban Ocon was eliminated in session two, along with Norris. The latter had a chance to get into the final session but deleted his time for exceeding track limits. The Alpha Tauri duo of Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly, in addition to Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu, also failed to make the final session.
With qualifying positions set, teams will prepare for Sunday’s race, which ESPN2 will televise live starting at 9a Eastern time.
