Did the fightback start here? We will find out in due course, but this was at least a step in the right direction.
A delighted George Russell said he had stopped trying to “copy and paste” what Kimi Antonelli, his Mercedes team-mate, was doing after claiming a morale-boosting pole for Sunday’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
Russell, who began the season a heavy favourite, has experienced a torrid few weeks, falling 68 points behind teenage tyro Antonelli in the championship race thanks to successive pointless finishes in Montreal and Monaco.
In the latest “kick in the balls” for the British driver, Russell found out this week that his penalty for speeding in the pitlane in Monaco, which compromised his entire race, should never have been awarded.
This, however, was some way to bounce back. The Briton beat Antonelli by over three tenths of a second – a big margin in F1 terms – and will line up alongside Ferrari’s resurgent Lewis Hamilton on the front row on Sunday. The 28-year-old told his team it was “nice to feel the groove again” as he returned his car to the pits.
Half an hour later, after freshening up a bit, he expanded on that sentiment in the official press conference. “It’s been a difficult few races for me with bad luck and some poor performances in there,” Russell said. “But I went back to an approach which works for me. And more important for me than pole today was the fact I was back in the top two on times all weekend. I kind of feel like my old self again.”
Asked exactly what he had done, whether it was related to his car set-up or to do with his driving style, Russell added: “Car set-up, mentality… just going back to basics really. These cars are so complicated, the tyres are so complicated, the power unit is so complicated. Copying and pasting [Antonelli, who has won the last five races] would have put me on the back foot, so I just went in my own direction.
“It just feels back to what I felt at the start of the year, when I felt really comfortable in the car, really happy. Miami [last month, where Russell finished fourth] was the first weekend where I felt uncomfortable and that’s where we started to make some wrong decisions.”
Hamilton, who has profited from Russell’s recent struggles to move into second in the championship, albeit only by two points, very nearly pipped his former Mercedes team-mate to pole. The seven-time world champion was up on Russell’s time midway through his final push lap, but lost a bit in the final sector to finish 0.064sec behind.
Regardless, the 41-year-old was delighted. And with good reason. Hamilton looks like a completely different driver this season compared to last year – and not just because he has let his hair grow out at the back in a style which closely resembles the bus driver in The Simpsons. He is really taking it to his team-mate Charles Leclerc, who made another big mistake here, losing control of his car at Turn 4 and careering into the barriers.
The mistake followed Leclerc’s race-ending crash in Monaco last weekend, after which the Monégasque complained bitterly about his car’s Brembo brakes, describing them as “borderline dangerous”. He has since switched to the set-up Hamilton is using, a combination of Brembo calipers and Carbon Industries discs and pads.
Leclerc declined to blame the brakes for his latest incident but it will do nothing to suggestions he may be rattled by Hamilton’s form. He certainly sounded quite rattled afterwards.
“I feel ashamed and disappointed,” Leclerc said. “I mean I feel ashamed for disappointing so many people that are supporting us and it must be tough to stick with me.
“The Q2 lap was really good, all corners we were the strongest or nearly and turn four was the weak corner for me. So I released the brakes, I carried quite a lot more speed in, which was okay in mid-corner but I ended up on the dirtier part of the track and lost the car. But there’s no excuses, it was a mistake.”
Leclerc’s accident led to a red flag which compromised Lando Norris’s qualifying. The Briton will start fourth but it might have been better had he not had to abort his first push lap.
It will be interesting to see what he can do from there, because McLaren’s pace has looked strong this weekend. Russell, who will be racing in his 100th grand prix for Mercedes, will be desperate to convert this pole and start to make inroads into his championship deficit.
“Kimi is going to be a real threat [from P3] no doubt,” he said, looking ahead to the race. “But Lewis probably surprised all of us with his pace today. We thought the fight would probably be with the McLarens [for pole]. So maybe Ferrari will be a surprise tomorrow as well.”
Hamilton and Antonelli speak
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Antonelli:
“A little bit of a difficult weekend, didn’t really have the feeling with the car. But long-run was strong yesterday so that is a positive.
“We try to get a good start and make the best use of the tow. The slipstream will be strong.”
Hamilton:
“We didn’t feel quite comfortable and up to it, in FP3 I was four, five tenths off and I was thinking jeez, where am I going to find that pace.
“I left the track between FP3 and qualifying, came back and in Q1 I was first. These guys did great, congrats to George but we are in a position to fight tomorrow so let’s have a great race.”
Russell speaks after a much-needed pole
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“It’s been a great weekend so far, I’m always fighting. I came into this weekend with a clean slate, felt good and it is great to be on pole.
“It will be an interesting race tomorrow, Lewis did a great job to get up there so I’m sure there will be a fight. Tomorrow will not be easy.
Russell: ‘Nice to feel the groove again’
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That is his message to his team over the radio. It has been a turbulent few races for him and he needs a win more than ever here. Even finishing first ahead of Antonelli in second would be quite a good result.
⏱️Q3 - Classification
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- RUS 1:14.679
- HAM +0.064
- ANT +0.319
- NOR +0.322
- VER +0.342
- HAD +0.398
- PIA +0.411
- LAW +1.863
- HUL +1.978
- LEC (NO TIME)
RUSSELL TAKES POLE FOR BARCELONA-CATALUNYA GP!
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Verstappen into fourth, can Hamilton hang on to take pole? Hadjar into fifth.
Hamilton second! Just 0.064sec away from Russell. Good performance, but not quite good enough for pole...
Russell first, Hamilton second, Antonelli third.
Q3 - Russell into first!
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Antonelli onto provisional pole but Russell is on course to beat that... can he? Yes! Three tenths up on Antonelli.
Norris third. Verstappen with a good first sector but it is a big ask to put the rest of the lap together. Hamilton not looking too tidy.
Piastri third but Hamilton is on a charge in the middle sector...
Q3 - A better first sector for Antonelli
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His fastest, but Russell also improves. Norris is half a tenth off...
Antonelli well up on Russell’s previous best after two sectors... but Russell is even faster than that!
Q3 - Hamilton was on old tyres
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So room to improve and that looks to be likely.
Into the final two minutes.
Q3 - Order after the first runs
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- RUS 1:15.145
- PIA +0.031
- VER +0.183
- ANT +0.269
- HAD +0.505
- HAM +0.565
Q3 - What can Russell do?
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It’s fastest... just ahead of Piastri but 0.269sec faster than his team-mate.
Hamilton only sixth, half a second off Russell.
Q3 - Antonelli crosses the line...
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He is only third... Russell on a good lap, though has a bit of a moment in the final sector.
Is Leclerc unsettled by Hamilton’s form?
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The battle for supremacy at Ferrari is getting increasingly interesting. All the talk this week about Leclerc switching to Hamilton’s brakes for this race after his shunt in Monaco. Is he now pushing too hard trying to match Hamilton’s pace? Has he been unsettled by the manner in which the Briton has started to make himself at home at Ferrari?
Session to restart in two minutes
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Only two drivers have set a lap time so far.
Watch: Leclerc crashes out of Q3
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Looks like he didn’t want to lose lap time and kept his foot on the throttle when he perhaps should not have.
Q3 - Order under the red flag
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- PIA 1:15.176
- VER +0.152
Only two drivers set a lap time. Everyone else either did not or had to bail out.
Q3 - 🟥RED FLAG
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Leclerc’s car hit the barriers on the outside of turn four and the front end of the car is hanging off.
What happened exactly? Got a snap of oversteer, corrected it and then turned into the slide before it started to point into the gravel and into the barriers he went. Oosh.
Q3 - First runs under way
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Verstappen and the McLarens on similar pace after one sector...
Likewise in the middle sector, but I do not think any of these men are challenging for pole.
🟨Yellow flags... Leclerc has crashed somewhere...
Q3 - It has not been the most eventful session so far
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11 minutes remain on the clock. Can Russell secure pole and a few places’ advantage over Antonelli?
Something not clicking for McLaren
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Watched Q1 in the McLaren motorhome. There were a few concerned faces in there. They are hoping for a much better weekend here than they had in Monaco but something’s not clicking. Saving it for Q3 perhaps.
⏱️Q2 - Classification
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- RUS
- LEC
- ANT
- NOR
- HAM
- VER
- PIA
- LAW
- HAD
- HUL
OUT: LIN, NOR, COL, GAS, BEA, SAI
Q2 - Big guns staying in the garage
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So it’s a scrap to get into Q3 now. Lawson into the top eight, not too far off Piastri.
Hulkenberg then slots into 10th, demoting Lindblad. Bearman fighting to get into the top 10 as Lindblad bails out. Bearman isn’t fast enough. Can Gasly improve?
He does, but not enough. Only 13th.
Just Colapinto left, then... 13th, displacing Gasly but that is it.
Q2 - What do the McLarens have?
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It’s not brilliant after the first two sectors for either of them. Probably top six or so at best at this pace...
Piastri goes sixth, Norris fourth. The fastest final sector for the world champion.
Into the final minute. Sainz does not progress.
Q2 - Top 10 after the first runs
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- RUS 1:15.228
- LEC +0.053
- ANT +0.067
- HAM +0.190
- VER +0.256
- HAD +0.526
- LIN +0.612
- NOR +0.793
- LAW +0.952
- PIA +1.124
DROP ZONE: BOR, COL, BEA, GAS, SAI, HUL
No lap time set from Hulkenberg. McLaren were using scrubbed tyres, so should find some pace.
Q2 - Russell goes fastest!
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By 0.053sec from Leclerc. Piastri only ninth... nowhere really. Norris crosses the line in eighth... not pulling up any trees either.
Hamilton fourth, nearly two tenths off Russell’s time.
Strange from McLaren. Well off the pace.
Q2 - First runs under way
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Verstappen with a 1:15.484sec... Leclerc beats that by two tenths... up come the Mercedes cars. Antonelli is short, just. What about Russell?
⏱️Q1 - Classification
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- HAM 1:15.625
- RUS +0.092
- LEC +0.339
- ANT +0.352
- HUL +0.441
- PIA +0.513
- NOR +0.662
- VER +0.727
- LIN +0.800
- HAD +0.802
- BEA +0.946
- COL +0.965
- GAS +0.974
- BOR +0.991
- LAW +1.048
- SAI +1.256
Q1 - Final runs under way
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Bearman with a decent lap into 11th. Both Williams cars in danger of missing out on Q2 here. Alonso propping up the grid and at risk of being out-qualified by Stroll. That almost never happens...
Q1 - Four minutes remain
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Everyone is back in their garages. The calm before the storm.
Q1 - Here is the current order
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- HAM 1:15.625
- RUS +0.092
- LEC +0.339
- ANT +0.352
- PIA +0.513
- NOR +0.662
- VER +0.727
- LIN +0.800
- HAD +0.802
- BOR +0.991
DROP ZONE: PER, OCO, BOT, ALB, ALO, STR
Q1 - 🟨Yellow flags
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Who is it for? Sainz, it seems. Locked up at turn one and ran wide. No real damage done.
Q1 - Hamilton with a fine lap
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Leclerc goes fastest. Hadjar doesn’t beat him, neither does Antonelli... but Russell does!
Hamilton posted the fastest first sector with a decent middle sector... and the fastest final sector means he moves first. Not by much.
Q1 - Verstappen on a flying lap
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He is likely to go fastest and does. 0.602sec faster than Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi. The Ferraris have just started their flying laps. Gasly into third, slower than Hulkenberg.
Q1 - Seven drivers have set a lap time
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12 minutes left on the clock and none of the big hitters have posted a time. That is about to change, though.
Here is the current order.
- SAI
- OCO
- BEA
- ALB
- BOT
- ALO
- STR
Q1 - Bottas sets the first lap time
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Good that he’s back out after the brake failure in FP3. He is then unsurprisingly beaten by the two Haas cars, who are both on the medium tyres. Albon cannot beat the Haas cars but Carlos Sainz in the other Williams does.
🟢GREEN LIGHT - Q1 begins!
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A few cars out in the Catalonia sunshine already. Looks like a roasting day at 51C track temperature and 31C air temperature.
A bit of a hairy moment for Bottas
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It has not been the best season for him, but his team-mate Sergio Perez looks fairly sharp. Almost scored points at Monaco last week.
Constructor standings
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Mercedes have won each of the six grands prix so far this season. McLaren have at least won one sprint race, in Miami.
Current driver standings
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Aside from the gap between Russell and Antonelli, it is pleasing to see Lewis Hamilton doing so well. He’s not finished after all!
Russell’s season so far
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Bad luck in China (his car conked out in qualifying, so he only got one Q3 lap), Japan (without the safety car he probably would have won) was compounded by a poor performance in Miami. More bad luck in Canada (power unit gave up whilst in the lead) was followed by a poor qualifying and then further bad luck in the race, with various penalties (that were not correct) and his team making an error in the pit stop.
In other words: a lot of ground to make up. He can do it bit by bit, though. I am sure there will be times when Antonelli goes missing or has a mechanical issue. All he can do is put himself in the best position to take the most points from Antonelli every weekend. The races come thick and fast now.
Good afternoon
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Welcome to our coverage for qualifying for the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. For a while it looked as if this track, after decades on the calendar, would disappear and the new Madring track in Madrid would be the replacement for the Spanish Grand Prix. Well, the organisers managed to secure its future as a Formula One race venue until 2032, with races in 2028, 2030 and 2032, essentially alternating with Spa-Francorchamps, which will do the odd years.
Is that a good thing? Well, having a race near Barcelona is no bad thing for F1 and accessibility but the track is hardly the most-loved on the calendar. Anyway, what will we see here this weekend?
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has followed up his first win in F1 with his second, third, fourth and fifth all in succession. Combine that with some bad luck and poor pace for George Russell since his win in the opening round in Melbourne and that means the Italian has opened a 66-point lead over his nearest rival. That is not Rusell, though, but Lewis Hamilton.
What can Russell do to arrest this slide? Well, start scoring more points than his team-mate is the number one thing, but how? Tom Cary has a few thoughts. There is no great reason for Russell to panic at the moment but the problem is that chasing things, whether he does that consciously or subconsciously, can lead to larger gaps emerging.
He could, perversely, also hope that teams like Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull start challenging Mercedes in order to take points from Antonelli. Then again, there’s nothing to say that they may not take points off him, too.
Anyway, qualifying begins in about an hour and we will be here for all the latest updates from that.