Mercedes F1’s George Russell returns to the top as he claimed pole position during Qualifying at the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP, full report below.
A strong start to the weekend saw Russell top FP1 on Friday, with the Briton appearing to bounce back after a difficult weekend in Monaco. In FP2, Lando Norris quickly found his rhythm after missing out on the opening session due to Leonardo Fornaroli taking over his car in FP1, as the reigning World Champion set the fastest time ahead of Russell and teammate Oscar Piastri.
After leading earlier this morning and returning to the top in FP3, Russell once again set the pace. As all focus now shifts to Qualifying, who will claim pole position for the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP?
Q1
As eighteen minutes ticked down, Valtteri Bottas led the queue of drivers out on track. While the session got underway, in the pit lane, it was reported that a significant amount of work was still being done on Arvid Lindblad’s car.
Out on track, both Haas drivers emerged from the pits on a set of medium tyres. Esteban Ocon was the first driver to set a representative lap as the Frenchman crossed the line with a 1:18.171. Following Ocon across the line, teammate Ollie Bearman slotted in behind with a 1:18.216.
With ten minutes left on the clock, many of the front-running teams started to head out on track. On his first lap, Max Verstappen went to the top with the fastest time with a 1:16.352. However, it was not long before Charles Leclerc eclipsed Verstappen at the top with a 1:15.964.
Fresh off a podium in Monaco, Lewis Hamilton was the next driver to find his way to the top with a 1:15.625. Russell, meanwhile, with a 1:15.717, slotted in behind the seven-time World Champion, sitting 0.092s adrift. Despite showing signs of competitiveness, both McLarens only sat in P5 and P6 as the track died down.
In the closing stages of Q1, home heroes Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz found themselves in the elimination zone. However, a well-executed lap from Nico Hülkenberg saw the Audi driver catapult into the top five. Luckily for Sainz, the Spaniard made it out of Q1, crossing the line with a 1:16.881 to move up into P16.
Out in Q1: Alonso, Stroll, Bottas, Perez, Albon, Ocon
Q2
The second part of Qualifying got off to a quiet start as many opted to remain in the pits. With twelve minutes left on the clock, drivers headed out on track for their first push laps. First across the line, Gasly’s first lap of the session set the benchmark of a 1:17.626. Next across the line, Verstappen found his way to the top of the timings with a 1:15.484. A strong showing from Lindblad saw the young Briton slot in behind with a 1:15.840.
Looking to build on a strong Q1, Leclerc was the next driver to top the timings with a 1:15.281. However, both McLarens continued to struggle to find any one-lap pace, as Norris’s lap time of 1:16.021 and Piastri’s lap time of 1:16.352 were only enough for P8 and P10, respectively. Heading back out on a fresh set of soft tyres, both McLaren drivers went out for their final attempts.
Piastri only managed to improve to P7, but Norris’ next lap was enough for P4 with a 1:15.361. Continuing on his strong Qualifying form, Liam Lawson moved into the top ten, making it through to the final part of Qualifying.
Out in Q2: Lindblad, Bortoleto, Colapinto, Gasly, Bearman, Sainz
Q3
For the final part of Qualifying, Norris led the queue out on track as the fight for pole was on. Verstappen was first across the line and set a 1:15.328. However, red flags were soon waved for Leclerc who crashed into the barriers, leaving nine cars in the fight for pole.
Once the session resumed, Verstappen and Piastri remained in the pits, having already set a lap time. Next across the line, a 1:15.414 for Antonelli was only enough for P3. However, with a well-executed final sector, Russell found his way to the top with a 1:15.145. Having abandoned his first lap due to the red flag, Norris headed out on track for his last and final lap.
Hoping to improve on his final attempt, Antonelli set off on his final lap. Across the line, the Italian found himself on provisional pole with a 1:14.998. Russell, having set purple times in the middle and final sectors, managed to find a significant margin to put three-tenths between himself and Antonelli with a 1:14.679.
All eyes were on Hamilton as the seven-time World Champion’s final effort was enough to split the Mercedes duo, slotting himself into P2 with a 1:14.743. However, after a tough spell of races, Russell claimed pole position for the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP.
