George Russell, Mercedes driver, took pole position at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix this Saturday (13), followed by Lewis Hamilton, from Ferrari. The GP will take place on Sunday (14), starting at 10am.
The race could interrupt Kimi Antonelli’s winning streak, who will be looking to top the podium for the sixth consecutive time in the GP. The Italian Mercedes driver starts third and seeks to extend his current 66-point advantage over seven-time world champion Hamilton.
Current world champion Lando Norris, from McLaren, will start fourth. Max Verstappen, from Red Bull, completes the first five to start. Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto will be 12th.
Mercedes has taken pole in all seven F1 races so far in 2026, and Saturday marked Russell’s third pole of the season to four for 19-year-old Antonelli, in a morale boost for the Brit as he seeks to recover from two races without points.
“Good to feel like I’m on pace again,” Russell said over team radio after completing the lap 0.064 seconds faster than compatriot Hamilton for his 10th career pole.
“It’s been a great weekend so far. I feel like I’m back to being myself again, where every lap I’m fighting for the top positions,” he added afterwards.
“The last few races, for various reasons, haven’t been very favorable, but I arrived this weekend with a clear mind, I felt good and it’s great to be on pole.”
LECLERC BEATS IN TRAINING
The final phase of qualifying was briefly interrupted after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed into the tire barrier at turn four.
Leclerc got out of the car and walked after his third crash in eight days, with incidents both in qualifying and in the Monaco Grand Prix race, his home race, last weekend. The Monegasque blamed himself, without offering an apology and saying he felt ashamed.
He will start in 10th unless changes to the engine and gearbox are necessary.
Hamilton was fastest in the first phase of qualifying, ahead of Russell and Leclerc, and will be looking for his first victory since 2024 and his first for Ferrari after finishing second in the last two races.
“The Mercedes guys did a good lap and congratulations to George, but we are in a good position to be able to fight tomorrow. We have a race,” said the 40-year-old, who looked set to take his first pole in almost three years but lost time towards the end of his lap.
Antonelli, who won from pole in Monaco, led on his last attempt before Russell and then Hamilton overtook him.
“It’s been a bit of a difficult weekend so far. I haven’t been able to connect with the car,” said the teenager.
Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull qualified sixth, with Oscar Piastri seventh for McLaren.
ALONSO WILL START LAST
Mercedes’ pole position also equaled Ferrari’s record of 256 constructors’ pole positions. Russell, in fact, will be starting from first position for the 11th time, but, due to a statistical peculiarity, the São Paulo 2022 pole went to Kevin Magnussen, from Haas, even though the Dane did not start from the front.
Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson will start in eighth place, with Nico Hulkenberg in ninth for Audi.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, 44, qualified last for Aston Martin ahead of what is likely to be his final appearance in Barcelona, with the race off the calendar next year and the Spaniard out of contract at the end of the season.
SEE THE BARCELONA-CATALONA GP CLASSIFICATION
- George Russell – Mercedes
- Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
- Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
- Lando Norris – McLaren
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- Isack Hadjar – Red Bull
- Oscar Piastri – McLaren
- Liam Lawson – Racing Bulls
- Nico Hulkenberg – Audi
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- Arvid Lindblad – Racing Bulls
- Gabriel Bortoleto – Audi
- Franco Colapinto – Alpine
- Pierre Gasly – Alpine
- Oliver Bearman – Hare
- Carlos Sainz – Williams
- Esteban Ocon – Haas
- Alexander Albon – Williams
- Sergio Perez – Cadillac
- Valtteri Bottas – Cadillac
- Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
- Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
