Lando Norris Clinches Pole Position at Spanish GT Grand Prix
In a thrilling qualifying session for the Spanish GT Grand Prix, Lando Norris of McLaren claimed the pole position, outpacing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.
The one-hour qualifying was split into three segments, with five cars being eliminated in both Q1 and Q2 before the top-10 shootout of Q3. Norris emerged victorious, setting a blistering lap time of 1m11.383s to secure the prime starting spot for the race.
Q1: Hamilton Sets the Pace
In Q1, it was Lewis Hamilton who set the pace, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with a time of 1m12.143s. The session saw the elimination of:
- Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
- Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Logan Sargeant (Williams)
Q2: Verstappen Lays Down the Benchmark
Verstappen then laid down the benchmark in Q2, clocking a time of 1m11.653s, 0.139s faster than Hamilton. Falling short at this stage were:
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)
- Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)
Q3: Norris Snatches Pole Position
The dramatic Q3 session saw Verstappen initially take the top spot with a time of 1m11.673s, but Norris was not to be denied, producing a stunning lap of 1m11.383s to snatch pole position. Verstappen had to settle for second, while Hamilton will start third, three-tenths of a second off the front row.
“I’m really happy with that. The car has been feeling good all weekend, and I knew I had the pace to be on pole. It’s a great start to the weekend, but the race is what really counts.” – Lando Norris
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari will line up fifth and sixth, respectively, with Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Sergio Perez (Red Bull), and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) rounding out the top 10. Oscar Piastri, the McLaren rookie, will start ninth after a late off-track excursion on his final run.
The Spanish GT Grand Prix promises to be an exciting affair, with Norris leading the charge from the front as he looks to extend his championship lead. Fans and enthusiasts of the sport are in for a thrilling race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
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