Max Verstappen was in a league of his own as he secured pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix. In an eventful qualifying session, that saw the likes of Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez and George Russell knocked out early, it was the reigning world champion who shone as he took pole with a 1m 12.272s lap.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took second on the grid, while it was an impressive outing for Lando Norris who took third for McLaren. Lewis Hamilton looked like he could deliver a front row start for Mercedes throughout qualifying, but could only manage P5, as he also shrugged off a coming together with his team mate Russell towards the end of Q2 – a move that Russell apologised for over the team radio.
Fernando Alonso could only qualify ninth after a trip over the gravel in Q1, with many hoping win number 33 of his career could come in front of his home crowd.
But it was a qualifying session to forget for some of the big names, particularly Leclerc who was eliminated in Q1, as he complained about a lack of grip from his rears. Perez also endured a problematic session, as he hoped to make up for a disappointing Monaco outing last weekend, by qualifying 11th, with Russell behind him in 12th.
Click on the video player above to catch the action from a dramatic qualifying ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.
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