Qualifying Highlights | 2022 Spanish Grand Prix

Two personal bests then so far for Mick Schumacher. Hangs left down the straight and well in then at the top 15. And while he makes it into the top 8, Nicolas Latifi can only go 18th. He's out of qualifying. Kevin Magnussen goes 5th as the track's starting to ramp up a bit. If it is, good thing for George Russell that he made the chequered flag in time to start this final flying lap of his. Lance Stroll stays in the bottom 5. Didn't improve during the final sector. Only 17th fastest. Pierre Gasly at the moment has the slowest time. We'll keep an eye on him and Sebastian Vettel who moves himself a little bit further out of danger. But only a little bit further out of danger. He's 13th. Now Pierre Gasly to get out of the bottom 5. Dusso goes 11th fastest. Pushes his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who's on a personal best, into that bottom 5. Fernando Alonso is now in the bottom 5 as Ricciardo goes 10th fastest overall. Next, Tsunoda and it's both Aston Martins with their new upgrade out in Q1 here in Barcelona. Heavily modified car and it has not worked to their liking in this part of qualifying. We're on board with Fernando Alonso who is out of qualifying and only 17th fastest. OK, Sebastian with P16 at the moment, so we are out, I'm afraid. You must be kidding! No, mate, I'm sorry. The Aston Martin in the bottom 5, I'm afraid. So for Nicolas Satifi it's another Q1 exit and his teammate Alex Albon joins him in being knocked out. Lance Stroll, Sebastian Vettel also out in that first part of qualifying. And much to the crowd's dismay here, Fernando Alonso, only 17th fastest. So, improvement for Carlos, science needed. Improvement takes him fastest overall. Not by much, but certainly by enough to get a big cheer from the grandstands. Mick Schumacher next across the line, stays only 9th fastest. Here comes Valtteri Bottas next across the line. We're looking, though, at Pierre Gasly trying to get out of the bottom 5, along with his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Gasly hasn't managed it, only 13th fastest for Pierre Gasly. What of Yuki Tsunoda? 12th fastest, but he actually out-qualifies his more experienced teammate for only the second time this season. Kevin Magnussen goes 4th fastest overall. Great lap from the day. Joe Guanyu stays 15th fastest. Daniel Ricciardo on his 216th start is in the top 10 at the moment. But can anyone deny him? Lando Norris is outside the top 10. He crosses the line, goes 7th fastest. Mick Schumacher out of the top 10, won't make it into Q3 for the first time in his career. And Max Verstappen goes quickest right at the end, to show everyone that Red Bull have still got quite a bit in the locker to go for pole. But Martin Brundle, what of Lando Norris? Yeah, time deleted for track limits at Turn 12. So that was the time that got him into the top 10, was it not, Lando Norris? I think Lando Norris is going to find himself, and is, outside of the top 10, which means that Mick Schumacher, for the first time in his Formula 1 career, at a track that his dad won six times at, has now got into Q3. Lando, I'm sorry, we had our lap time deleted. So that puts us out in P11, I'm afraid. OK, sorry for the car, Pierre. Yeah, honestly, I've tried. And Pierre Gasly and his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, both in that bottom 5, alongside Lando Norris. Car, not driver. Certainly in Gasly's case, Joe Granul was the slowest in that particular session. And Esteban Ocon couldn't make it through either. Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, we're on board with, as Max Verstappen goes quickest through the first sector. Sainz goes ahead of Hamilton. 1.19.4. And Charles Leclerc spun! Charles Leclerc spinning out of the chicane, and that's ruined his first flying lap. Max Verstappen going through the final corner now, as his teammate Sergio Perez goes second fastest. Verstappen quickest in the first sector, and quickest overall by nearly four-tenths of a second. So it's turned 13 into 14. So he cranked a lot of steering angle in, and the back end of the car just couldn't live with it. So I don't think it was on kerb induced, look, it was already sliding. So it just wouldn't tolerate the amount of steering and the rate of change of steering angle that Charles demanded of the car. It had no power. Verstappen's got no power, he says. Charles Leclerc powers to the line, and goes into the 1.18s and takes provisional pole. How this qualifying session has just swung around in the last few seconds. Delight for Charles Leclerc. Verstappen saying he has no power. Carlos Sainz crosses the line third on the grid. So it's Leclerc and Verstappen 1-2 at the moment. Verstappen told to box. He can't improve. He's missed out on pole. And let's keep an eye on George Russell. Fastest of anybody in the first sector. Dropped a couple of three-tenths in the middle sector. George Russell on a better lap. Hamilton fifth. Perez fourth. Magnussen goes seventh as he reaches the chequered flag. George Russell now down towards the chicane. And one more corner after this. Can he put his Mercedes car second row, front row, pole position? Where's it going to be, George Russell? It's going to be on the second row. Fourth fastest just behind Carlos Sainz. That's a fantastic effort for Mercedes to get George Russell fourth. But it's a brilliant effort after it was looking to be slipping away from Charles Leclerc. He's only gone and bagged his fourth pole of the season. Oh, the lap was good. The lap was good. But what happened to Max Verstappen? Well, you heard it, Martin. Absolutely stark contrast between the full power and then whatever was causing that sudden loss of power. And for all their pace, Red Bull, that fragility remains. No one enjoying themselves more than Charles Leclerc. Pole position for him. Verstappen couldn't go any faster. Something went wrong with the power on his car. Carlos Sainz puts himself in the top three on the grid for his home Grand Prix for the first time in his career. George Russell on the second row for Mercedes. And for Russell this season, that is a best qualifying start. Sergio Perez starts fifth. Lewis Hamilton will start sixth. Ahead of Valtteri Bottas, his former teammate. Kevin Magnus in eighth. Daniel Ricciardo, ninth. And Mick Schumacher, tenth on the grid. Charles Leclerc, all his career wins, Martin, have come from pole position. And on a track where 23 out of 31 previous winners have been on pole. And this could be a very important afternoon indeed.