Q1
Hamilton led the first qualifying session, crossing the line just .007s faster than the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. Pierre Gasly’s luck this weekend continued in Q1, and he was third fastest when time ran out.
Eliminated
16. DANIEL RICCIARDO, MCLAREN
17. NICHOLAS LATIFI, WILLIAMS
18. ANTONIO GIOVINAZZI, ALFA ROMEO
19. KIMI RAIKKONEN, ALFA ROMEO
20. NIKITA MAZEPIN, HAAS
Results
| DRIVER | TEAM | TIME | TYRE |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAM | MER | 1:24.585 | S |
| VER | RBR | +0.007 | S |
| GAS | SAT | +0.119 | S |
| LEC | FER | +0.284 | S |
| PER | RBR | +0.378 | S |
| BOT | MER | +0.462 | S |
| NOR | MCL | +0.553 | S |
| ALO | ALP | +0.589 | S |
| SAI | FER | +0.592 | S |
| TSU | SAT | +0.824 | S |
| RUS | WIL | +0.832 | S |
| OCO | ALP | +0.837 | S |
| STR | AMR | +0.926 | S |
| MSC | HAS | +0.970 | S |
| VET | AMR | +1.202 | S |
| RIC | MCL | +1.296 | S |
| LAT | WIL | +1.501 | S |
| GIO | ALF | +1.845 | S |
| RAI | ALF | +2.940 | S |
| MAZ | HAS | +3.864 | S |
Q2
Hamilton remained untouchable in Q2 with his engine change placing his W12 at the top of the timesheets once again. His teammate Valtteri Bottas was .497s behind him with Verstappen in third. George Russell was on the cusp of making it into Q3, but a mistake on the final corner hampered his chances and saw him out in Q2.
Eliminated
11. SEBASTIAN VETTEL, ASTON MARTIN
12. ESTEBAN OCON, ALPINE
13. GEORGE RUSSELL, WILLIAM
14. MICK SCHUMACHER, HAAS
15. CARLOS SAINZ, FERRARI
Results
| DRIVER | TEAM | TIME | TYRE |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAM | MER | 1:23.082 | M |
| BOT | MER | +0.497 | M |
| VER | RBR | +0.650 | M |
| GAS | SAT | +0.735 | M |
| ALO | ALP | +0.832 | M |
| PER | RBR | +0.879 | M |
| LEC | FER | +0.933 | M |
| TSU | SAT | +0.972 | S |
| STR | AMR | +1.519 | M |
| NOR | MCL | +1.560 | M |
| VET | AMR | +1.713 | M |
| OCO | ALP | +1.760 | M |
| RUS | WIL | +1.925 | M |
| MSC | HAS | +2.118 | S |
| SAI | FER | NOTIME | S |
Q3
Hamilton once again led the pack in Q3 and kept his Mercedes in the top spot. His teammate, Valtteri Bottas will start on pole as the world champion endures a 10-place grid penalty for an internal engine combustion change and will take off from P11. Therefore Max Verstappen will start tomorrow’s race from second, with the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in third.
Results
| DRIVER | TEAM | TIME | TYRE |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAM | MER | 1:22.868 | S |
| BOT | MER | +0.130 | S |
| VER | RBR | +0.328 | S |
| LEC | FER | +0.397 | S |
| GAS | SAT | +0.458 | S |
| ALO | ALP | +0.609 | S |
| PER | RBR | +0.838 | S |
| NOR | MCL | +1.086 | S |
| STR | AMR | +1.437 | S |
| TSU | SAT | +1.500 | S |
Sunday’s Starting Grid
- VALTTERI BOTTAS, MERCEDES
- MAX VERSTAPPEN, RED BULL
- CHARLES LECLERC, FERRARI
- PIERRE GASLY, ALPHATAURI
- FERNANDO ALONSO, ALPINE
- SERGIO PEREZ, RED BULL
- LANDO NORRIS, MCLAREN
- LANCE STROLL, ASTON MARTIN
- YUKI TSUNODA, ALPHATAURI
- SEBASTIAN VETTEL, ASTON MARTIN
- LEWIS HAMILTON, MERCEDES
- ESTEBAN OCON, ALPINE
- GEORGE RUSSELL, WILLIAMS
- MICK SCHUMACHER, HAAS
- NICHOLAS LATIFI, WILLIAMS
- ANTONIO GIOVINAZZI, ALFA ROMEO
- KIMI RAIKKONEN, ALFA ROMEO
- NIKITA MAZEPIN, HAAS
- CARLOS SAINZ, FERRARI
- DANIEL RICCIARDO, MCLAREN
Driver Reaction
Lewis Hamilton
“The track is absolutely awesome with the grip level it’s giving us now. The session was really tricky with some damp patches, but it was a really great job by the team. I’m so happy with the performance, in terms of getting us out at the right time.
“Tomorrow’s going to be difficult, but I’ll give it everything. It’s not the easiest overtaking at the moment, and we’re all on the same tyre, so I imagine tomorrow’s going to be difficult to move up.
“You saw Max in the last race once he get behind sixth, but we’ve got the long straight down the back – hopefully we can give the fans a good race.”
Valtteri Bottas
“It was a good qualifying, not easy conditions, especially Q1 with the damp parts. There were some good laps, I really enjoyed it, and it’s the result we planned.
“Lewis with his penalty gets the minimum he can, and I’m on pole – so it should be good.
“I’ll focus on my own race tomorrow, that’s the way to go when you start in front, and try to keep up a good pace.”
Max Verstappen
“Going off at the beginning was tricky with the conditions, but compared to yesterday we managed to turn it around quite well. The laps overall were quite good, even though the last one we lost a bit down the straight.
“Overall, it’s quite a decent recovery compared to yesterday. Tomorrow, lining up in second, let’s wait and see what the weather will do, but overall I’m pretty happy.
“I should be a bit better, let’s see how competitive we will be in the race. The tyre wear seems quite high around the track, but it’s quite fun to drive.”
