Max Verstappen’s pole position may have been something of a foregone conclusion, but that didn’t stop qualifying in Spain throwing up some major surprises – Charles Leclerc out in Q1 for Ferrari, and then Verstappen’s Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez and Mercedes’ George Russell missing the Q3 cut.
It means we find local hero Carlos Sainz on the front row for Ferrari, just ahead of his former McLaren team mate Lando Norris and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. Pierre Gasly had qualified a spectacular fourth for Alpine, but starts 10th thanks to two three-place penalties for impeding.
And at other end of the field, Ferrari and Williams have chosen to start Leclerc and Logan Sargeant from the pit lane, both having made car modifications whilst under Parc Ferme conditions.
Starting Grid
FORMULA 1 AWS GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2023
| Pos. | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max VerstappenVER | 1:12.272 |
| 2 | Carlos SainzSAI | 1:12.734 |
| 3 | Lando NorrisNOR | 1:12.792 |
| 4 | Lewis HamiltonHAM | 1:12.818 |
| 5 | Lance StrollSTR | 1:12.994 |
| 6 | Esteban OconOCO | 1:13.083 |
| 7 | Nico HulkenbergHUL | 1:13.229 |
| 8 | Fernando AlonsoALO | 1:13.507 |
| 9 | Oscar PiastriPIA | 1:13.682 |
| 10 | Pierre GaslyGAS | 1:12.816 |
The 2023 Spanish Grand Prix starts at 1500 local time. Be sure to join our live coverage from 1400 here.
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