Formula 1

George Russell takes pole position for Spanish GP from Hamilton and Antonelli

Fraser Masefield
4 months ago
5 min read

George Russell grabbed a vital pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of countryman Lewis Hamilton and teammate Kimi Antonelli.


With Antonelli winning the last five races, something needed to change for Russell, else the season could quickly escape him.

And a quickest lap time of 1m14.679 got the job done as the in-form Hamilton snatched second from man of the moment Antonelli.

“More than just pole position, I had a big reset going into this weekend,” Russell told Sky Sports afterwards.

“Every lap from FP1 we’ve been in the top two positions and that is what I’m most proud and happy about.

“After such a tough run off results for various different reasons it’s a big reset and you never know how it’s going to pan out.”

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For the rejuvenated Hamilton, who finished second in Monaco, a front-row slot represents another excellent chance to possibly notch a first ever Ferrari victory should circumstance go in his favour.

“It feels great to be up here with them,” said Hamilton. “Honestly this weekend has been so difficult. Normally it’s ok to miss P1 but when we went to P2 I was over a second off.

“Then I went to P3 and again I was easily four tenths, five tenths off and I was thinking ‘jeez where am I going to get that pace’.

“I went and left the track between P3 and qualifying, came back and Q1 I was first so I knew I had good balance, was really comfortable in that first session. Q2 was a little harder with traffic then I got it right.

“These guys did a good lap naturally, congrats to George, but we are in a good position to be able to fight tomorrow, so we’re in the race.”

George Russell celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Barcelona-Catalunya (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

Defending champion Lando Norris will line up alongside Antonelli on the second row of the grid with Max Verstappen well placed in fifth ahead of Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar.


It was a disappointing seventh fastest for Oscar Piastri, the second McLaren ahead of Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg and Charles Leclerc who again suffered a disappointing crash during Q2.

“I’m ok. I just feel very much ashamed to be here after a crash like that,” said Leclerc.

“What did I do? I released the brakes earlier, I tried to carry speed I think on the previous lap. I think we were close to being the fastest car on every corner apart from Turn 4.

“I knew it was a weakness, I knew I had to make everything perfect for that lap and I tried. Obviously I regret it, and I feel very much ashamed.

“The last two races Canada and Monaco I was in a very tricky configuration to deal with.

“And the way it ended in Monaco made it very difficult to take and accept knowing I could do very little with it. But this weekend there was none of that.

“The car was great, the feeling with the car was amazing and I didn’t deliver. If anything it was a lot worse than that – I put it into the wall, so there is no excuses. I just feel ashamed.”

It makes for a fascinating race, where car set-up and aero separates the best from the rest on one of the most tested at tracks on the F1 calendar.

“It’s been a difficult weekend for me so far,” added championship leader Antonelli. “We didn’t really have the car. The long run was strong yesterday, so definitely that’s a positive.

Barcelona – Catalunya Grand Prix, Saturday, Getty Images BARCELONA, SPAIN – JUNE 13: Pole position qualifier George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Barcelona-Catalunya at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 13, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

“So today I’ve been lacking a little bit but looking forward to tomorrow. We will try to get a good start and make the best use of the tow.

“Now a lot of work to do to be ready for tomorrow.”

For pole sitter Russell, it’s not quite at the stage of a must win race. But the comeback must surely start now before his young teammate stretches away both his title lead and confidence.

George Russell is presented with his pole position trophy by Sir Chris Hoy – Photo: Jiri Krenek/ Active Pictures

“I really felt in my groove again, really comfortable in the car, very similar to how I felt at the start of the year,” he added.

“I’ve not looked at a single piece of data the whole weekend. I’ve just driven the car and trusted my instincts.

“And that was a bit of a risk because these cars are so complicated and you’re always trying to find that next step of improvement. But that’s what I’ve been doing with my team for the last few races.”

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Fraser Masefield

Fraser is a sports and motorsports editor with over 25 years experience. The former head editor of WilliamsF1, BMW Motorsport, Jaguar Racing and Virgin Media, he has also worked for Autosport, ESPNF1 and Eurosport amongst others.

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