Lewis Hamilton displayed another qualifying masterclass with a stunning pole position. Bottas and Verstappen line up behind ahead of a very mixed midfield.
Q1
At numerous times, traffic played havoc with people’s laps. This is expected to be even more of an issue going into next week.
Hamilton bounced back from the previous practice session and took the fastest time in Q1, Verstappen was just behind, outpacing Bottas yet again.
As the timer ticked down, last week’s pole sitter, Stroll, seemed in serious trouble as he languished in 17th, however, he stormed to 2nd with his final lap.
It was the usual suspects at the bottom as both Alfa Romeos and Haas cars were eliminated. Latifi finished 20th while Russell managed his to break through to Q2 for the 9th time this season.
Eliminated:
- 16th Giovinazzi
- 17th Raikkonen
- 18th Magnussen
- 19th Grosjean
- 20th Latifi
Q2
With 10 minutes to go, 15 of the 16 cars were out on track. However, before a single lap time was set, Sainz brought out the red flags. His rear axle locked up, causing the McLaren to spin through turn 1. He was not able to get the car restarted and a tow truck had to pick up his stricken car.
There was not a single time set when the session restarted. This caused a queue just to leave the pit lane. Hamilton again took the fastest time while Bottas remained behind Verstappen.
Both Ferraris found themselves out of the top 10 as the timer counted down and neither were able to improve. It was a hard return to earth for Stroll, who finished 13th, a far cry from his previous qualifying performance. A radio message afterward suggested a ‘miscommunication’ was to blame.
Russell finished 14th, but was aided by Sainz finishing 15th, without a lap time.
Eliminated:
- 11th Vettel
- 12th Leclerc
- 13th Stroll
- 14th Russell
- 15th Sainz
Q3
It was advantage Hamilton as they started their flying laps while Verstappen and Bottas chased. Hamilton managed to improve even further taking another pole position. Bottas saved his best lap for last and snatched 2nd from Verstappen. Albon had a solid session, taking 4th ahead of the hard charging Perez. The Renaults lined up in 6th and 7th, Ricciardo winning the team-mate battle. Gasly spent most of the session in the top 5 but fell to 8th. Norris and Kvyat rounded out the top 10.
Results:
- Hamilton
- Bottas
- Verstappen
- Albon
- Perez
- Ricciardo
- Ocon
- Gasly
- Norris
- Kvyat
It looks like tomorrow may bring another race win to Mercedes, but Verstappen and Albon will be desperate to spoil their parade. Meanwhile, the battle for 3rd overall is heating up, meaning that there may be some drama in the desert tomorrow.
Featured Image Credit: @F1 Official Twitter
