Norris pips Verstappen to pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix

Verstappen led the way after the first run in Q3. The Dutchman had just over one-tenth advantage on Norris. Mercedes sat above Ferrari, and Perez lagged behind due to a lap on used tyres. Piastri also had the used tyre issue and was under pressure for his final run. He made a mistake and ran across the gravel which meant he couldn't improve on his time.

His teammate had much more joy. Verstappen improved on his time, but not enough to beat Norris who found half a second on his Q2 time. The Mercedes cars stayed ahead of Ferrari when it came to the final run. Hamilton will start from third, behind Verstappen. 

The drama at the end of FP3 didn't result in any grid penalties. Both Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc got away with a reprimand after they made contact with other drivers on the circuit. Sergio Perez's three-place grid penalty from an incident at the Canadian Grand Prix will come into play for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

Q1

Qualifying looked set to be one of the closest sessions in recent memory. The results of the free practice sessions suggested Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren were in the mix, with Mercedes knocking on the door. Very little separated the top drivers in practice. The same could be said about the top of the order following Q1. 

Sargeant caused problems for Lance Stroll on the track, and the stewards noted the incident. Sargeant sat in the drop zone along with his teammate. Tsunoda, Zhou and Magnussen were also under pressure after the first run in Q1. Williams decided to give Albon a free track for a push run in the middle of Q1 which pulled him out of the drop zone at the time he set it.

Albon soon dropped back and was eliminated. Neither RB driver escaped Q1 with a car fitted with plenty of upgrades this weekend. They were joined by Magnussen. 

16th Magnussen, 17th Tsunoda, 18th Ricciardo, 19th Albon, 20th Sargeant

Q2

Hamilton needed to take a second set of soft tyres in Q1, so he started Q2 with a used set. This put him under pressure as he fell into the drop zone after the first run in Q2. He was joined by both Aston Martin drivers and both Sauber drivers. Meanwhile, Verstappen put distance between himself and Norris at the top.

Hamilton completed his lap early, which lifted him to second. His teammate joined him in the top three after flirting with the drop zone himself. Neither Aston Martin or Sauber could escape, and Hulkenberg swapped for Hamilton. 

11th Alonso, 12th Bottas, 13th Hulkenberg, 14th Stroll, 15th Zhou