GEORGE RUSSELL BEGAN his quest to charge back into world championship contention by pipping Lewis Hamilton to pole position for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
British driver Russell has failed to score at the previous two races, undone by an engine issue in Montreal before falling foul of penalties in Monaco which dropped him out of the points.
Russell has bemoaned the misfortune which has decimated his title tilt as 19-year-old Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli has won five races in a row to lead the standings by 66 points from Hamilton.
But, believing the pressure is now off, Russell – 68 points adrift – has been on song throughout the weekend and took his third pole of the season by just 0.064 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
It continued Mercedes’ clean sweep of pole positions this season, as Russell’s mighty lap saw off the challenge of the seven-time world champion – who clinched his best qualifying result since joining Ferrari.
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Antonelli will start Sunday’s 66-lap race from third, ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
The track temperature hit 51 degrees as qualifying began on the outskirts of Barcelona.
Hamilton has finished second to Antonelli at the previous two races and vowed to chase after him across the remainder of the season.
He raised hopes that a first pole since July 2023 might be possible by topping the opening session.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton share a joke after qualifying. David Davies / PA / Alamy
David Davies / PA / Alamy / PA / Alamy
Less than two tenths separated the top five in the second running, with Norris joining the fight to suggest three teams were in the battle for pole.
One of those hopefuls, Charles Leclerc, suffered a heavy crash nose-first into the barriers at turn four on his first run in Q3 as the session was red-flagged.
It was a third crash in eight days for Leclerc, whose home race ended with him in the barriers, and he chose to change the brakes on his Ferrari to match Hamilton’s ahead of this weekend.
Offaly's Alex Dunne (15) in F2 action at Montmelo on Friday. IPA / Alamy
IPA / Alamy / Alamy
Russell delivered a storming lap to see off Antonelli on his final run in Q3 but the big threat came from Hamilton, who fell just a fraction short of ending his long wait for pole.
Antonelli would become only the sixth driver in Formula One history to win six or more races in a row with victory on Sunday.
Home hero Fernando Alonso believes this will be his final race in Barcelona and the 44-year-old will start it from last on the grid.
Meanwhile in Saturday’s Formula Two sprint race, Offaly’s Alex Dunne finished eighth, a result which saw Noel Léon leapfrog him into third place in the drivers’ championship ahead of Sunday’s feature race.
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George Russell pips Lewis Hamilton to pole position for Barcelona-Catalunya GP
GEORGE RUSSELL BEGAN his quest to charge back into world championship contention by pipping Lewis Hamilton to pole position for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
British driver Russell has failed to score at the previous two races, undone by an engine issue in Montreal before falling foul of penalties in Monaco which dropped him out of the points.
Russell has bemoaned the misfortune which has decimated his title tilt as 19-year-old Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli has won five races in a row to lead the standings by 66 points from Hamilton.
But, believing the pressure is now off, Russell – 68 points adrift – has been on song throughout the weekend and took his third pole of the season by just 0.064 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
It continued Mercedes’ clean sweep of pole positions this season, as Russell’s mighty lap saw off the challenge of the seven-time world champion – who clinched his best qualifying result since joining Ferrari.
Antonelli will start Sunday’s 66-lap race from third, ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
The track temperature hit 51 degrees as qualifying began on the outskirts of Barcelona.
Hamilton has finished second to Antonelli at the previous two races and vowed to chase after him across the remainder of the season.
He raised hopes that a first pole since July 2023 might be possible by topping the opening session.
Less than two tenths separated the top five in the second running, with Norris joining the fight to suggest three teams were in the battle for pole.
One of those hopefuls, Charles Leclerc, suffered a heavy crash nose-first into the barriers at turn four on his first run in Q3 as the session was red-flagged.
It was a third crash in eight days for Leclerc, whose home race ended with him in the barriers, and he chose to change the brakes on his Ferrari to match Hamilton’s ahead of this weekend.
Russell delivered a storming lap to see off Antonelli on his final run in Q3 but the big threat came from Hamilton, who fell just a fraction short of ending his long wait for pole.
Antonelli would become only the sixth driver in Formula One history to win six or more races in a row with victory on Sunday.
Home hero Fernando Alonso believes this will be his final race in Barcelona and the 44-year-old will start it from last on the grid.
Meanwhile in Saturday’s Formula Two sprint race, Offaly’s Alex Dunne finished eighth, a result which saw Noel Léon leapfrog him into third place in the drivers’ championship ahead of Sunday’s feature race.
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F1 Formula One Front Row George Russell Lewis Hamilton Motorsport