Russell starts from pole position in the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Barcelona! Hamilton surprised everyone

The Mercedes pilot stopped the clock at 1:14,679, enough to overtake Lewis Hamilton, the man who produced the surprise of the day.

Hamilton is back on the front line

After a shaky start to the season, the seven-time world champion managed his best qualifying session so far in Ferrari colours.

Hamilton found the right pace towards the end of the session and moved up to second place, missing out on pole position by just 0.064 seconds.

He was followed by Kimi Antonelli, who was relegated to third after the Briton's last lap from Ferrari.

Lando Norris will start from fourth, followed by Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Oscar Piastri failed to get involved in the fight for the top positions and will only start from seventh, while Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top nine.

Accident for Leclerc in Q3

The dramatic moment of qualifying came in the last sequence of the session. Charles Leclerc lost control of the Ferrari single-seater in turn 4 and crashed violently into the barriers.

The Monegasque caused the red flag and was unable to re-enter the track after the session restarted, so he did not record any time in Q3.

The Ferrari driver will start from tenth position.

Fernando Alonso did not have a successful day at all on the circuit where he achieved his last victory in Formula 1, in 2013. The Spanish veteran will start from the last position on the grid, being overtaken including by teammate Lance Stroll.

Carlos Sainz didn't impress in front of his own supporters either and finished qualifying only 16th.

Starting grid: Top 10

1. George Russell (Mercedes)

2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

4. Lando Norris (McLaren)

5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

6. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)

7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

8. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)

9. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)

10. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

George Russell: “Lewis was a real surprise”

After qualifying, the Mercedes driver admitted he was expecting a battle with McLaren for pole position, not his former team-mate.

“It's been a great weekend so far. I feel like my old self again, doing my job every lap, always fighting for these positions. In the last races, for various reasons, things didn't go in my favor, but I came here with a fresh attitude, I felt good and I'm happy to be in pole position.

Tomorrow will be an interesting race. Lewis did an excellent job to be here, it was a real surprise. We thought the battle would be between us and McLaren, but Lewis was fast throughout the session. I'm sure tomorrow will be a fight and it won't be easy for us, but I feel ready”Russell stated.

General classification of drivers in Formula 1:

• Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 156 points
• Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 90
• George Russell (Mercedes) – 88
• Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 75
• Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 60
• Lando Norris (McLaren) – 58
• Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 43
• Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – 29
• Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 26
• Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 26
• Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 18
• Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 15
• Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – 13
• Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 6
• Alexander Albon (Williams) – 5
• Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 3
• Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – 2
• Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 1
• Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – 0
• Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – 0
• Sergio Perez (Cadillac) – 0
• Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 0

General classification of constructors in Formula 1:

1. Mercedes – 244 points
2. Ferrari – 165
3. McLaren – 118
4. Red Bull – 72
5. Alpine – 41
6. Racing Bulls – 39
7. Haas – 21
8. Williams – 11
9. Audi – 2
10. Aston Martin – 1
11. Cadillac – 0