(Montmeló) Formula 1 World Championship leader Charles Leclerc dominated qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday after beating reigning world champion Max Verstappen.
Posted at 11:31 a.m.
The Ferrari driver slashed 0.323 seconds off Verstappen’s time to claim his fourth leading position already this season.
” I feel good ! It was a very, very difficult session, especially in Q3 because I made a mistake [de pilotage], which left me only one lap to record a time. Very, very happy with my lead position — it was a good lap, and the car is amazing. I’m in good shape [pour demain]but we will have to manage our tires better, because if we don’t, then victory could slip away from us,” Leclerc said after the session.
The Dutchman, however, experienced a loss of power from his Honda engine as he attempted a final flying lap to overtake Leclerc’s time, preventing him from jostling him.
“It’s always hard to say, but I couldn’t do my last lap. However, being on the front line [de la grille], that’s fine, but obviously I would have preferred to get the lead. It will be hot, this track is not conducive to overtaking, but our car should be more accommodating with the tyres,” mentioned Verstappen.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner then offered a clue as to the nature of the mechanical failure that plagued Verstappen.
“It’s a problem with the DRS [système de réduction de traînée] of Verstappen, said Horner. But we weren’t fast enough today to hope to beat Charles’ lap. »
Leclerc’s Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. pleased his supporters by claiming third place, 0.416 seconds behind.
Photo LLUIS GENE, Agence France-Presse
From left to right: Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr.
“It’s been tough so far this weekend, with the heat and everything. We can fight [pour la victoire] tomorrow, provided you get a good start. Everything would then be possible,” summed up the Spaniard.
George Russell, driving his Mercedes, recorded the fourth time, ahead of the other Red Bull driver, the Mexican Sergio Perez. For his part, Lewis Hamilton obtained the sixth fastest time.
Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), Kevin Magnussen (Haas), Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) and Mick Schumacher (Haas) completed the top 10in order.
The qualifying session took place on a hot and sunny day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Spain is currently being swept by an intense heat wave — May is the hottest month in 20 years.
Qualifying was particularly important as the holder of the leading position at the start has won 23 of the last 31 races in Spain, in particular because of the few sectors for overtaking.
Barring unforeseen penalties, Sebastian Vettel will start 16and at the wheel of his Aston Martin, while his teammate, Quebecer Lance Stroll, will start from 18and rank on the starting grid. For his part, the Toronto driver Nicholas Latifi, at Williams, was satisfied with the 20and and last rung.
Leclerc has a 19-point cushion ahead of Verstappen after five races, but the Red Bull driver is on a roll after securing back-to-back wins at Imola and Miami. The Dutchman has recorded three victories so far, against two for the Monegasque.
Ferrari are one of many teams that have arrived in Spain with technical upgrades for their 2022 car, and the Scuderia make no secret of their hopes of being able to stem Verstappen’s comeback this weekend at the 4-star Catalan circuit, 6km.
Hamilton has won the Spanish Grand Prix six times, including the last five. The seven-time world champion started the weekend in the underdog role, however, as the fight at the front of the peloton mostly pits Verstappen against Leclerc.
Photo NACHO DOCE, REUTERS
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell
Hamilton has also been beaten by Russell four times in the first five races, although Mercedes have had their share of problems since the start of the campaign.
Leclerc had set the fastest time in the third and final free practice session in the morning, after having dominated the previous two the day before.
The third free practice session was notably marked by a failure of the braking system of Schumacher’s Haas, resulting in a brief fire in the back of his single-seater. However, he was able to take part in the qualifications, and rebounded brilliantly by sneaking into the top 10.