Spanish Grand Prix, Qualifying: Piastri on pole, Hadjar shines, Sainz and Tsunoda adrift

Q1: Sainz and Tsunoda are out, Hadjar narrowly makes it.

Surprise at the start of the qualifications in Barcelona: several drivers expected in Q2 dropped out in the first round. Among them, Carlos Sainz, despite being at home, failed to take advantage of an ever-improving track. The Spaniard stops in Q1, a hard blow in front of his supporters.

But the real underperformance comes from Yuki Tsunoda, who completely missed the mark. Struggling for several races now, the Japanese driver was never in the rhythm and once again watches the next stages of qualifying slip away. Regarding incidents, Franco Colapinto suffered from a gearbox issue preventing him from leaving the pits. Immobilized at the pit exit, he briefly obstructed several competitors before being bypassed. The Argentine was eliminated in 19th place.

Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg complete the list of those eliminated. In contrast, Isack Hadjar pulled himself out of the danger zone in the final moments by recording the 15th fastest time. Without any standout moments but with efficiency, the Frenchman continues his weekend.

In front, Oscar Piastri set the fastest time at 1’12″551, ahead of Verstappen, Norris, and Russell, who stayed in the pits at the end of the session, confident in their first attempt.

Q2: Piastri dominates, Hadjar advances again, Albon and Lawson at the door

The start of Q2 quickly set the pace with Albon setting the initial benchmark at 1’13”113. But soon, the favorites took over: Verstappen seized the best time with 1’12”358, closely followed by Norris (1’12”056), then Piastri, who further improved to take the lead with a tight time, just 58 milliseconds ahead of Norris.

Despite a track conducive to progress, some drivers had to say goodbye to the session. Ultimately, it was Albon, Bortoleto, Lawson, Stroll, and Bearman who were eliminated, even though Stroll and Bortoleto tried to save their place by improving in the last minutes.

Isack Hadjar once again showed solid performance and managed to qualify for Q3, sending Williams’ Albon to elimination. Meanwhile, threatening clouds to the north of the circuit raised fears of a sudden change, but no driver was able to dislodge the top five who had decided not to go back out at the end of the session.

The top 5 remains unchanged with Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Russell, and Hamilton in pole position for Q3.

Q3: Piastri in charge, Hadjar impressive

In a Q3 held under a threatening but still dry sky, Oscar Piastri secured a superb pole position in Barcelona with a time of 1’11″627, taking the advantage over Lando Norris by 209 thousandths. The McLaren driver had briefly taken the lead thanks to a slight draft from his teammate, but it was not enough.

Behind them, George Russell and Max Verstappen set exactly the same time, but it’s the Dutchman who takes third place, having crossed the line before his rival. Lewis Hamilton completes a very close top 5.

The pleasant surprise once again comes from Isack Hadjar, who climbs to fifth place in the final seconds before being pushed back by the last improvements. Nevertheless, he finishes this Q3 in an extremely solid position, proving his consistency and remarkable progress this weekend.

Fernando Alonso, with only one solo attempt, briefly managed to slip into the top 5 before being pushed back as well. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, did not go for a final attempt and remains far from the best.

An incident has also been noted regarding Lance Stroll, who reportedly failed to stop for weighing in Q2. An investigation is underway and could have consequences after the session.