Formula 1‘s 2023 season is in full swing. In the 7th race of the 2023 season, the teams will compete in Spain. The race, which will take place on Sunday at 4:00 PM, will be preceded by the qualifying sessions that started today at 5:00 PM. The Spanish GP qualifying brought a lot of excitement and surprises. Here are the details.
Surprising qualifying results in Spain
The qualifying session for the Spanish GP began with the expectation of rain. Although there were occasional weak showers throughout the qualifying session, the drivers were able to complete the session without needing rain tires. The surprise of the first session was undoubtedly Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. The driver from Monaco finished 19th and bid farewell to the qualifying sessions in the first session.
Surprises continued in the qualifying session of the Spanish GP in the second session as well. In this part, Red Bull driver Sergio Perez and Mercedes driver George Russel were unable to achieve the lap times that would put them into the final session.
The final session of the qualifying sessions, in which one driver from each of the three top teams was eliminated, presented us with a grid that we are not accustomed to. Championship leader Max Verstappen achieved the best lap time in the final session and reached the first place, while Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz managed to secure second place. Lando Norris from McLaren made a big surprise by securing third place.
On the other hand, in the qualifying session of the Spanish GP, Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time champion driver of Mercedes, finished fifth, while double world champion Fernando Alonso made a mistake and could only secure the ninth place. In the qualifying session of the Spanish GP, pilots from different teams occupy the top six positions. This diverse grid in the qualifying session gives us clues that tomorrow’s race could be quite entertaining.
Spanish GP qualifying results:
Pos | Driver | Car | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:13.615 | 1:12.760 | 1:12.272 |
2 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:13.411 | 1:12.790 | 1:12.734 |
3 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:13.295 | 1:12.776 | 1:12.792 |
4 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:13.471 | 1:13.186 | 1:12.816 |
5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:12.937 | 1:12.999 | 1:12.818 |
6 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:13.766 | 1:13.082 | 1:12.994 |
7 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 1:13.433 | 1:13.001 | 1:13.083 |
8 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 1:13.420 | 1:13.283 | 1:13.229 |
9 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:13.747 | 1:13.098 | 1:13.507 |
10 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:13.691 | 1:13.059 | 1:13.682 |
11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:13.874 | 1:13.334 | |
12 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:13.326 | 1:13.447 | |
13 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 1:13.677 | 1:13.521 | |
14 | Nyck De Vries | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT | 1:13.581 | 1:14.083 | |
15 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT | 1:13.862 | 1:14.477 | |
16 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo Ferrari | 1:13.977 | ||
17 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 1:14.042 | ||
18 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:14.063 | ||
19 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:14.079 | ||
20 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 1:14.699 |
The 7th leg of the Formula 1 season will take place on Sunday, June 4th, at 4:00 PM. Along with this surprising grid, we expect to witness a race with plenty of overtaking maneuvers tomorrow. What are your thoughts on the Spanish Grand Prix qualifying results? You can share your opinions with us in the comments section.