Mercedes drivers in 'dangerous' collision behind dominant Verstappen – Spanish GP qualifying

F1

Max Verstappen crushed the opposition in 2023 Spanish GP qualifying as the Mercedes F1 drivers collided in a dramatic session

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell clash in 2023 Spanish GP qualifying

Miscommunication blamed on Mercedes clash in qualifying

Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images

The Mercedes drivers of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell collided at high speed in a dramatic qualifying for the 2023 Spanish GP, as Max Verstappen crushed the opposition.

With rain threatening early on, a tense atmosphere saw many drivers spin in Q1, with Charles Leclerc a shock elimination from the first phase.

The drama continued in Q2, with Russell and Sergio Perez surprise knock-outs, the Mexican sounding emotional on the radio as he apologised to his Red Bull team.

Prior to that Hamilton got a run on Russell on the start-finish straight, losing his front wing as he ran side-by-side with his team-mate – the team putting this down to a “miscommunication” with Hamilton labelling it “pretty dangerous”.

Max Verstappen celebrates taking pole position in 2023 Spanish GP

Verstappen was dominant in Barcelona

Red Bull

As Q3 started, Verstappen clocked a stunning lap, a second fastest than anyone else. After an impressive start to the session, Hamilton looked set to be the nearest challenger, but it was home hero Carlos Sainz who got closest, with a brilliant lap from Lando Norris putting him third.

Pierre Gasly was fourth – but may be demoted due to impeding several cars – while Fernando Alonso was left a disappointed ninth, but Verstappen was happy.

“The car was really good,” said the Dutchman. “Qualifying started off a bit tricky with the weather.

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“But once it started to dry out in Q3 as well, the car was on rails and it was really, really enjoyable to drive today.

“I love coming to Barcelona in general. I love the track. I love the fans. They really love racing. And I have a lot of great memories here and hopefully tomorrow we can add another one.”

“I needed it,” said Sainz of the Spanish home support. “It’s always one tenth here one tenth there, but I was pushing, I didn’t leave anything on the table today.”

“I’m surprised to be here but it’s a home race for Carlos so I thought I’d give him a couple tenths!” exclaimed Norris before highlighting Barcelona reverting to the old high-speed configuration.

“It’s one of our strengths, the high speed corners,” he remarked. “The tricky qualifying sessions we always seem to do well.”

Here’s how qualifying played out in Barcelona.

 

Q1

Nyck de Vries goes off on the gravel in qualifying for 2023 Spanish Grand Prix

Nyck de Vries went off twice in the same place during Q1

Dan Mullan/F1 via Getty Images

A large chunk of the field queued to go out at the start of Q1, with intermittent raindrops falling from bruised Spanish skies.

The crowd roared for Alonso as he hit the track, but there was early drama as Yuki Tsunoda lost control at Turn 11. Alonso then ran off the circuit at the final corner, damaging his floor.

“Rain is on the way I think,” said Mercedes’ Russell, as Ferrari played with fire by keeping both cars in.

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Valtteri Bottas and Nyck De Vries then dropped it at the same section as Tsunoda, with Albon throwing it into the gravel at Turn 5.

The red flag was thrown to clear gravel from the track,

Once cars got back out on the circuit, Verstappen immediately set out his stall with a 1min 23.660sec, but McLaren’s rookie Oscar Piastri remarkably went just 0.031sec slower.

Carlos Sainz complained about an inadvertent block from Pierre Gasly in the final section, as Russell said “the tyres aren’t working” and could only go 13th fastest.

Verstappen slightly improved, as it became clear the field had split into two – drivers who could heat up their tyres, and those who couldn’t.

“There’s something wrong with my rears guys,” said Leclerc, who was soon joined in the bottom five as the clock ticked down.

Action from there on track was frantic as the asphalt’s offering rapidly improved – Gasly shocked by going fastest of all, immediately deposed by Hülkenberg, Norris and Hamilton.

Fernando Alonso goes off on the gravel in 2023 Spanish GP qualifying

Alonso ran onto the gravel on his first flying lap, causing floor damage

Eric Alonso/Getty Images

The biggest shock was at the bottom though, Charles Leclerc was knocked out in 19th.

Bottas (16th), Magnussen (17th), Albon (18th) and Sargent (20th) were also eliminated.

“I don’t have the answer,” said an exasperated Leclerc. “The left-hand corners were undriveable. It was on the rear tyres. I had no grip at all. I’ll be very surprised if everything was fine.

 

Q2

Both Red Bulls made sure to leave their garage early, with Verstappen clocking a 1min 12.7sec lap, 0.9sec faster than team-mate Perez.

Alonso, Stroll and Russell managed to insert themselves inbetween the Red Bulls, but the Spaniard was still 0.5sec off the reigning champion.

Hamilton then appeared to find pace, going fastest in the first sector and managing to get into second on the time sheets – 0.25sec away from Verstappen.

“****ing Norah,” said Russell, having a huge moment out of Turn 11. “No confidence on these tyres.

George Russell after being eliminated in qualifying agt the 2023 Spanish GP

Russell went out in Q2 after clash with team-mate Hamilton

Dan Istitene/F1 via Getty Images

All cars went out for a second run, but Perez’s challenge was over early – he went off at Turn 5.

“We’ve got the fuel, we can go again,” his engineer told him.

Sainz wasn’t having the same issues as Leclerc, going second, before he was soon deposed by a scintillating lap from Norris.

Piastri leapt into sixth but there were two big shock eliminations – Perez in 11th and Russell in 12th.

Just prior the Mercedes cars had a close call – Hamilton tried to slipstream his team-mate on the start-finish straight, before Russell moved over and inadvertently took off part of the seven-time world champion’s front wing.

The team blamed the incident on miscommunication, with one side of the garage not realising that both rivers were on push laps: Russell said that he was trying to slipstream a Ferrari ahead and then moved back to the racing line without realising that Hamilton was approaching behind.

Also knocked out were Zhou, De Vries and Tsunoda from another eventful session.

Sergio Perez walks back to pit after being eliminated from 2023 Spanish GP qualifying

Off-track excursion didn’t help Perez’s efforts to avoid Q2 elimination

Nacho Doce/AFP via Getty Images

 

Q3

The final act of a frantic qualifying began with Verstappen laying down a marker: 1min 12.272sec.

Norris was closest – 1.3sec off – before Hamilton clocked a time a second slower than the Dutchman, but the Mercedes was running on old soft tyres as opposed to the Red Bull’s new.

Nico Hülkenberg impressed by almost matching Hamilton’s time, the Haas only setting one flying lap in Q3.

Alonso circuited to roars of the crowd, but his time was only good enough for ninth; floor damage only accounted for 0.2sec of the gap, with the home crowd’s favourite saying that he had also lost time on a damp patch of track at Turn 10.

His countryman Sainz lifted himself onto the front row with a lap 0.4sec slower than Verstappen, with Norris and Gasly (subject to a stewards’ investigation) filing in behind respectively with fine laps.

Not so fine was Hamilton’s effort, which ended in fifth, with Lance Stroll outqualifying Alonso to grab sixth.

Verstappen aborted what he said was looking like a “lovely” lap, as it became clear that he would take pole regardless with a dominant showing.

Max Verstappen Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris after 2023 Spanish GP qualifying

Sainz and Norris joined Verstappen in the top three after qualifying

Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images

2023 Spanish Grand Prix qualifying results

Position Driver Team Time
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1min 12.272sec
2 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1min 12.734sec
3 Lando Norris McLaren 1min 12.792sec
4 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1min 12.816sec
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1min 12.818sec
6 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1min 12.994sec
7 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1min 13.083sec
8 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 1min 13.229sec
9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1min 13.507sec
10 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1min 13.682sec
Q2 times
11 Sergio Perez Red Bull 1min 13.334sec
12 George Russell Mercedes 1min 13.447sec
13 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1min 13.521sec
14 Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri 1min 14.083sec
15 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1min 14.477sec
Q1 times
16 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1min 13.977sec
17 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1min 14.042sec
18 Alex Albon Williams 1min 14.063sec
19 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1min 14.079sec
20 Logan Sargeant Williams 1min 14.699sec