George Russell will lead an all‑Mercedes front row after edging team mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli in a close qualifying session.
Lewis Hamilton looked set to join them on the front row but lost time with a mistake on his final run, allowing McLaren to secure the second row once more.
Q1
Antonelli topped the first phase of qualifying, outpacing Russell comfortably on their opening laps. After Russell posted a 1’13.953, Antonelli improved by more than half a second with a 1’13.380.
Russell, who had won the sprint race earlier, reported his car felt worse than yesterday: “The ride has felt quite a bit worse today than yesterday.” By the end of Q1 six cars separated the two Mercedes. The McLaren duo closed to within two tenths of Antonelli, while Isack Hadjar put his Red Bull in fourth place.
The two Ferraris followed, though Charles Leclerc took a bumpy run through the final chicane and was instructed to return to the pits for checks. Hamilton drew stewards’ attention for impeding Pierre Gasly.
Arvid Lindblad impressed with seventh, while Max Verstappen was ninth after the opening round. Carlos Sainz Jnr completed the top ten.
Aston Martins and Cadillacs were eliminated as usual in Q1. Fernando Alonso reported encountering Sergio Perez slowing on the racing line approaching the hairpin, an incident the stewards reviewed, along with Aston Martin’s release of a car into the path of Franco Colapinto.
Audi drivers struggled with braking at times but both advanced after improvements late in the session. Gabriel Bortoleto progressed at the expense of Esteban Ocon, while Oliver Bearman reached Q2 despite visible damage to a left‑hand strake. Alexander Albon’s difficult weekend continued with a Q1 exit.
Q1 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’13.380 | |
| 2 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’13.503 | 0.123 |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’13.559 | 0.179 |
| 4 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’13.654 | 0.274 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’13.767 | 0.387 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’13.825 | 0.445 |
| 7 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’13.895 | 0.515 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’13.953 | 0.573 |
| 9 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’14.067 | 0.687 |
| 10 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’14.276 | 0.896 |
| 11 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’14.346 | 0.966 |
| 12 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’14.449 | 1.069 |
| 13 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’14.466 | 1.086 |
| 14 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | R26 | 1’14.562 | 1.182 |
| 15 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’14.698 | 1.318 |
| 16 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | R26 | 1’14.775 | 1.395 |
| 17 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’14.845 | 1.465 |
| 18 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’14.851 | 1.471 |
| 19 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | 1’15.196 | 1.816 |
| 20 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac-Ferrari | MAC-26 | 1’15.429 | 2.049 |
| 21 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | 1’16.195 | 2.815 |
| 22 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac-Ferrari | MAC-26 | 1’16.272 | 2.892 |
Q2
Q2 produced a tightly packed leaderboard topped by Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar rather than the usual Mercedes, McLaren or Ferrari entries. Hadjar led a group separated by only a tenth of a second that included Hamilton, Norris and the two Mercedes drivers.
Piastri, Verstappen and Leclerc also progressed. Leclerc came close to elimination after an untimely visit to the weighbridge ahead of his final attempt and complained over traffic on his cooling lap.
Lindblad extended his impressive weekend by moving into Q3. Franco Colapinto claimed a top‑10 spot, while team mate Pierre Gasly could only manage 14th. The Audi pair failed to advance, with Nico Hulkenberg 11th and Gabriel Bortoleto 13th, separated by Liam Lawson. Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman ended Q2 at the bottom of the times and will start ahead of their respective team mates on the grid.
Q2 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’12.975 | |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’13.041 | 0.066 |
| 3 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’13.049 | 0.074 |
| 4 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’13.076 | 0.101 |
| 5 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’13.079 | 0.104 |
| 6 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’13.285 | 0.310 |
| 7 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’13.479 | 0.504 |
| 8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’13.496 | 0.521 |
| 9 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’13.548 | 0.573 |
| 10 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’13.857 | 0.882 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | R26 | 1’13.886 | 0.911 |
| 12 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’13.897 | 0.922 |
| 13 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | R26 | 1’14.071 | 1.096 |
| 14 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’14.187 | 1.212 |
| 15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’14.273 | 1.298 |
| 16 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’14.416 | 1.441 |
Q3
The final session began with neither Mercedes immediately on top. Antonelli’s initial lap was fourth fastest and Russell missed completing his first attempt.
Russell experienced a snap of oversteer at turn six and reported rear instability before returning to the pits for a quick check. Lando Norris led early with a 1’12.729, ahead of team mate Oscar Piastri and Hamilton. Verstappen, unhappy with straight‑line speed, was sixth and Hadjar’s early time left him more than a second off the best.
On his second outing Russell used a tow from Colapinto to move up to third. Antonelli then produced a final‑lap 1’12.646 to take provisional pole. McLaren’s drivers pushed but could not match Antonelli, leaving Russell as the only driver with a chance to beat his team mate. Running a second lap on the same tyres, Russell found six hundredths to snatch pole from Antonelli.
Hamilton ran wide at the exit of turn seven on his final lap and dropped from second to fifth. Verstappen joined him on the third row, still unhappy with his car’s balance but ahead of Hadjar.
Q3 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’12.578 | |
| 2 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’12.646 | 0.068 |
| 3 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’12.729 | 0.151 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’12.781 | 0.203 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’12.868 | 0.290 |
| 6 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’12.907 | 0.329 |
| 7 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’12.935 | 0.357 |
| 8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’12.976 | 0.398 |
| 9 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’13.280 | 0.702 |
| 10 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’13.697 | 1.119 |
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