Hamilton sets provisional pole for Spanish Grand Prix ahead of Antonelli
Lewis Hamilton recorded the fastest lap in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, edging out Kimi Antonelli by 0.061 seconds, while other drivers posted varied results.
Lewis Hamilton posted the quickest time in the Spanish Grand Prix qualifying session, completing a lap in 1:32.079 to claim provisional pole. He finished 0.061 seconds ahead of rookie Kimi Antonelli and 0.186 seconds ahead of George Russell. Charles Leclerc was 0.206 seconds slower than his Ferrari teammate.
Esteban Ocon, who achieved his best qualifying position since the Japanese Grand Prix in March, said drivers are not responsible for Haas' current performance challenges.
In the lower end of the grid, Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Oscar Bearman and Lance Stroll were still in the drop zone with four minutes remaining, while Carlos Sainz qualified 16th, just ahead of Alonso.
A replay showed Russell contacting the wall in a manner similar to Albon's incident during practice, raising questions about potential damage to the Mercedes car.
Ritomo Miyata, a former Super GT and Super Formula champion who moved to Formula 2, secured his first F2 race victory, finishing 12th in the championship standings for his third season.
Colton Herta withdrew from the race after a crash in qualifying; no further details were provided.