Verstappen dominates shock-filled Spanish GP qualifying

Max Verstappen breezed to Spanish Grand Prix pole position in a dramatic session that proved disastrous for his Formula 1 title rival Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc and George Russell, and featured high-speed contact between the Mercedes drivers.

Amid a host of shocks and incidents, Verstappen finds himself with home hero Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari alongside his Red Bull on the front row and Lando Norris a startling third for McLaren.

Ferrari driver Leclerc was the first major casualty in a chaotic Q1 that included a red flag after an array of spins on a track still slightly damp in places following earlier rain meant the FIA wanted a pause to get gravel off the circuit.

It's slippy out there! 👀

The red flag was due to gravel being dragged back onto the track by the drivers who went off#SpanishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/kx1cYLieoK

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 3, 2023

The exit of the tight Turn 10 had been particularly problematic, with both AlphaTauris and Valtteri Bottas spinning there, while Alex Albon lost it under braking for the downhill Turn 5 left-hander and Fernando Alonso slewed through the gravel at the restored fast final corner.

🚩 RED FLAG 🚩

Bottas goes wide, but gets going again#SpanishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/m87VhFbjio

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 3, 2023

Leclerc stayed on the road but reported an unexplained handling problem affecting his Ferrari’s handling in left-handers. A change of tyres failed to solve it and he ended up a desperate and perplexed 19th in the session, joining Bottas, Kevin Magnussen and the Haas pair in being eliminated.

Perez only just made it out of Q1 in 15th place and then was the wrong side of the cut-off in Q2, having gone off through the Turn 5 gravel on the first lap of his last run and then failing to find enough time on dirty tyres on his next lap, leaving him 11th.

Sergio Perez is in the gravel but should have time for another go#SpanishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/3UWY4uYgjQ

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 3, 2023

He shares row two with George Russell, who complained of his Mercedes bouncing and said he had no feeling with the tyres, but who also got involved in a frightening incident with team-mate Hamilton.

The pair touched wheels when flat-out on the main straight after an apparent miscommunication, with Hamilton sustaining wing damage and brushing the grass. He made it through to Q3 with the lap he’d managed before the clash.

Contact between Russell and Hamilton during the final stages of Q2! #SpanishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/JgQJmXphe5

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 3, 2023

Hamilton shared the provisional front row with old nemesis Verstappen early in Q3 before eventually being edged down to fifth as Verstappen swept to pole with a 0.462-second margin over Sainz.

Norris had been a frontrunner throughout qualifying, second-fastest to Verstappen in both Q1 and Q2 and then third in Q3.

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Pierre Gasly was fourth for Alpine as its upgraded car continued to show great form, but he was always unlikely to start there as he is under investigation for two impeding incidents – with Sainz in Q1 and Verstappen in Q2. He was later demoted to 10th.

His team-mate Esteban Ocon was seventh behind Hamilton and Lance Stroll, who emerged as Aston Martin’s lead hope once Alonso had sustained floor damage in his early Q1 incident.

Aston Martin patched the car up and Alonso made it to Q3, but was only able to go ninth-fastest there with a single late run.

That puts him between the impressive Haas of Nico Hulkenberg and the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri.

Qualifying Results