Max Verstappen takes pole position for Red Bull at the Spanish Grand Prix; Carlos Sainz second, Lando Norris takes surprise third; Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez and George Russell made early exits; watch the Spanish GP live on Sky Sports F1 from 12:30pm on Sunday
Last Updated: 03/06/23 7:19pm
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Max Verstappen took a convincing pole position for Red Bull at the Spanish Grand Prix amid several shock early exits in a wild Qualifying session.
The world championship leader maintained his impressive form to top the timesheet with a 1:12.272 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and was even able to abort his final flying lap with no other drivers capable of beating his first Q3 effort.
Carlos Sainz will start his home Grand Prix on the front row for Ferrari, while Lando Norris took a surprise third for McLaren.
Pierre Gasly finished fourth for Alpine, but was later demoted six places for twice impeding other cars during a frantic and highly entertaining session.
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Having momentarily appeared to be in contention for pole position after topping Q1, Lewis Hamilton could only manage fourth – after Gasly’s demotion – in his upgraded Mercedes.
Lance Stroll claimed fifth to out-qualify Aston Martin team-mate Fernando Alonso for the first time as the Spaniard came eighth after appearing to be hindered by floor damage suffered when he went off track in Q1.
The only consolation for Alpine was that Gasly’s team-mate Esteban Ocon was one of the beneficiaries of the demotion, while Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri also each moved up a place to seventh and ninth, respectively.
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Rain at the start of the session created challenging conditions, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc making a surprise exit in Q1, before Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez went out in Q2 as his world championship challenge continued to fade.
George Russell also exited in Q2 amid struggles with tyre temperature, and was involved in a dangerous collision with Mercedes team-mate Hamilton.
Spanish GP Qualifying Result
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
3) Lando Norris, McLaren
4) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
5) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
6) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
7) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas
8) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
9) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
10) Pierre Gasly, Alpine*
*Gasly demoted six places for two impeding offences
Leclerc, Perez out early as rain creates drama
After heavy rain had fallen during final practice earlier on Saturday, Qualifying began with very light showers over the pit lane and paddock.
The track was dry enough for slick tyres, but also damp and greasy enough to deliver a chaotic session.
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Several cars went off track in the opening stages, with Valtteri Bottas’ spin prompting a red flag to allow gravel to be cleared from the surface.
Among those to go off was Alonso, whose Aston Martin team repeatedly tried to repair his floor throughout the session but appeared unable to restore it to full functionality.
With the rain easing during the nine-minute delay that followed the red flag, the track was rapidly improving when the session resumed, but it remained a challenge for drivers to get temperature into their tyres.
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As a result, there was a frantic finish with the entire field out on track attempting to improve.
Leclerc, considered by many to be the fastest driver in F1 over one lap, couldn’t find any pace in the conditions and exited in 19th.
Perez, whose form has dropped off since he appeared to ignite a title challenge with victory in Azerbaijan last month, narrowly escaped a Q1 exit, but went off into the gravel when under pressure in the closing stages of Q2, ruining his tyres and consigning him to 11th on the grid.
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There was great contrast between the performance of Red Bull’s drivers, with Verstappen perfectly positioned to extend his 39-point lead at the top of the world championship, as a third successive title for the Dutchman becomes more of an inevitability.
Verstappen’s pace during practice suggested he will be equally dominant on Sunday, when he will be the clear favourite to extend Red Bull’s streak of six wins to start the season, with his biggest threat likely to come from the weather once more.
Hamilton, Russell clash amid contrasting performances
There was also a major contrast in the performances of Mercedes’ drivers, with Hamilton impressing as Russell struggled throughout.
In what is a crucial weekend for Mercedes as they debut significant upgrades to the W14, Hamilton appeared to be Verstappen’s closest challenger for much of the session.
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Russell limped through Q1, and was then unable to find the pace to advance from Q2 as he struggled with tyre temperature and bouncing.
To compound a miserable afternoon for Russell, he drove into Hamilton and could be punished for impeding his team-mate as they made contact at high speed approaching the first corner.
Mercedes explained the situation was caused by a “miscommunication”, with the drivers unaware that each of them were starting flying laps.
Hamilton had already recorded a strong enough lap to reach Q3, but suffered a broken front wing, which team principal Toto Wolff later said could have contributed to his slight drop off in the final part of the session.
Russell was given a formal warning by the stewards but avoided a grid penalty.
Watch the Spanish Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday with build-up from 12.30pm and lights out at 2pm. Get Sky Sports
