Mercedes Driver Secures Pole Position in Thrilling Qualifying Session
Formula 1 qualifying just witnessed a rare occurrence, with George Russell claiming pole position ahead of Max Verstappen, despite both drivers posting an identical time of 1:12.000s. This marks Russell’s second pole position in Formula 1, following his maiden one in Hungary in 2022. The last time fans saw such a situation was in 1997, making this a truly historic moment in the world of Formula 1.
According to Article 39.4 of the FIA F1 Sporting Regulations, in the event of identical times, priority is given to the driver who set it first. In this instance, Russell had set the fastest time, and Verstappen matched it later on. Although Russell had another shot to improve, he couldn’t quite beat his initial time, leading to the unusual situation of both drivers sharing the same lap time.
This remarkable event brings back memories of the 1997 European GP, when Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen all set the same time in qualifying – a 1:21.072. On that occasion, Villeneuve took pole position, having been the first to cross the finish line. He went on to win the world championship the next day, amidst controversy with Schumacher.
Changing Qualifying Format
It’s worth noting that Formula 1 qualifying has undergone significant changes over the years. In the past, the format consisted of a one-hour session, allowing drivers to set their times at any point during that window. In the 1997 European GP, Villeneuve set his time 15 minutes before Schumacher, and Frentzen even later than the German.
Closest Finish in F1 History
While we’ve never seen two drivers cross the finish line of an F1 race tied, the smallest gap at the end of a race was achieved in the 2002 United States GP, when Ferrari secured a one-two finish, with Rubens Barrichello narrowly beating his teammate Schumacher by just 0.011s.
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