F1 Barcelona GP: George Russell beats Lewis Hamilton to pole as Charles Leclerc crashes
Motorsport.com • • sports
Key Points:
- George Russell ended Kimi Antonelli’s dominant streak by securing pole position for the 2026 Barcelona Grand Prix with a time of 1m14.679s, his third pole of the season.
- Lewis Hamilton qualified second, just 0.064 seconds behind Russell, while Antonelli was third, three-tenths slower than his Mercedes teammate.
- The qualifying session featured a red flag after Charles Leclerc crashed at Turn 4, limiting drivers to only two laps in Q3 before Russell claimed provisional pole.
- Lando Norris led McLaren in fourth, with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar completing the third row; notable struggles included McLaren’s Oscar Piastri falling to seventh and Leclerc finishing tenth after his crash.
- Fernando Alonso qualified 22nd, behind teammate Lance Stroll in 21st, marking the first time in 2026 that Stroll outqualified the world champion.