As Leclerc crashes
George Russell claimed pole position for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, delivering a superb final lap to head Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli at the end of a hitly contested qualifying session interrupted by a Q3 crash for Charles Leclerc.
Russell, who had shown strong pace throughout practice and led the way in Q2, produced a benchmark lap of 1:14.679 to secure his third pole position of the season. Hamilton came closest to denying him, the Ferrari driver finishing just 0.064s adrift with a 1:14.743, while championship leader Antonelli had to settle for third, 0.319s away from his team-mate.
Q3 began with Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen setting the early pace before the session was halted when Leclerc lost control at Turn 4 after running wide onto the dusty outside line. The Ferrari snapped into the barriers, leaving Leclerc without a time and consigning him to 10th on the grid.
When running resumed, Russell initially moved to provisional pole with a 1:15.145, narrowly ahead of Piastri, before the final runs brought a flurry of improvement. Antonelli briefly jumped ahead on a 1:14.998, but Russell responded decisively, lowering the target by more than three tenths. Hamilton’s late effort then split the Mercedes pair and secured Ferrari a front-row start.
Lando Norris will line up fourth for McLaren after posting a 1:15.001, only 0.003s behind Antonelli, with Verstappen fifth for Red Bull on 1:15.021. Isack Hadjar completed the third row, the Red Bull driver just 0.056s behind his team-mate, while Piastri slipped to seventh after improving only to 1:15.090.
Liam Lawson delivered another strong performance for Racing Bulls to take eighth, though his 1:16.542 left him 1.863s off pole. Nico Hülkenberg continued Audi’s encouraging form in ninth, 0.115s behind Lawson, with Leclerc completing the top 10.
Arvid Lindblad was the quickest driver to miss out on Q3, ending Q2 in 11th after a 1:15.840. Gabriel Bortoleto followed in 12th for Audi, ahead of Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly. Oliver Bearman took 15th for Haas, while Carlos Sainz was 16th for Williams and missed the second cut by a sizeable margin.
Esteban Ocon was the first driver eliminated in Q1, qualifying 17th, with Alex Albon alongside him on row nine. The all-Cadillac 10th row will feature Sergio Pérez ahead of Valtteri Bottas, while Aston Martin endured a difficult session as Lance Stroll and home favourite Fernando Alonso completed the final row.
2026 FIA Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 George Russell Mercedes 1:14.679 - -
2 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:14.743 0.064 0.086
3 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:14.998 0.319 0.427
4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:15.001 0.322 0.431
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:15.021 0.342 0.458
6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:15.077 0.398 0.533
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:15.090 0.411 0.550
8 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:16.542 1.863 2.495
9 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:16.657 1.978 2.649
10 Charles Leclerc Ferrari - - -
11 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:15.840 1.161 1.555
12 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:16.001 1.322 1.770
13 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:16.191 1.512 2.025
14 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:16.261 1.582 2.118
15 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:16.389 1.710 2.290
16 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:17.827 3.148 4.215
17 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:17.073 2.394 3.206
18 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:17.424 2.745 3.676
19 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:17.545 2.866 3.838
20 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:17.757 3.078 4.122
21 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:18.758 4.079 5.462
22 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:18.815 4.136 5.538
