Norris Secures Maiden Pole of 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship Season in Barcelona
Lando Norris stunned the paddock by claiming his first pole position of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, outpacing Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling qualifying session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. This marks the Briton’s second pole position in his career, following his first in the 2021 Russian Grand Prix.
Q1: Early exits for VCARB and Williams
The first qualifying session saw a tentative start, with most drivers waiting for better track conditions. Daniel Ricciardo was among the early runners, setting a respectable time that was soon surpassed by the Red Bull duo. Charles Leclerc took the initial lead, followed closely by Verstappen. Pierre Gasly and Nico Hülkenberg made a strong impression, occupying sixth and seventh spots, respectively. Valtteri Bottas also managed a solid lap, securing 12th place.
As the session progressed, Alex Albon attempted to improve his position, running out of sync with the rest of the field. Although he managed to climb to 12th, he was ultimately knocked out of qualifying and will start 19th on the grid. On the final runs, Hamilton topped the timesheet, beating Leclerc by +0.114s. Logan Sargeant struggled to outqualify his teammate, relegating him to the back of the grid. Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda also failed to progress, a disappointment for Visa Cash App RB on the weekend of their major upgrade package. Kevin Magnussen was another casualty, edged out by Hülkenberg in the other MoneyGram Haas F1 Team car.
Q2: Alonso misses out, Alpine doubles up in Q3
Lance Stroll set the initial pace in Q2, but Esteban Ocon and Sergio Pérez soon surpassed him. Gasly’s exceptional lap propelled him to the top, followed by Leclerc and then Oscar Piastri. Norris took the lead, only to be eclipsed by Verstappen, who established a +0.2s gap over the chasing pack.
After the first runs, Hamilton found himself in the bottom five, utilizing used tyres. Fernando Alonso, Stroll, and both Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber drivers joined him in the elimination zone. Stroll narrowly avoided elimination but ultimately missed the top ten. Hamilton rebounded to second, while Ocon and Gasly secured BWT Alpine F1 Team’s first double Q3 appearance of the season.
Home hero Alonso narrowly missed Q3, as George Russell snatched third place ahead of his teammate. Zhou Guanyu, Hülkenberg, and Bottas will start outside the top ten in Sunday’s race.
Q3: Norris claims pole
The final qualifying session saw Verstappen dominate initially, setting a 1:11.673s lap time, +0.123s ahead of Norris. The two Mercedes drivers occupied third and fourth, with the Ferrari pair behind, followed by the Alpines. Pérez struggled on used softs, +1.388s off his teammate’s pace, while Piastri had his first lap time deleted for track limits.
As the track continued to improve, Verstappen bettered his time to 1:11.403s. However, Norris stunned the field by going even quicker, snatching pole position for McLaren with a 1:11.383s lap time. Hamilton qualified third, his best grid spot of the season, as Russell secured fourth. Leclerc and Carlos Sainz completed the top six, with Gasly starting seventh. Pérez will take a grid drop down to eleventh, while Ocon starts eighth. Piastri failed to set a lap time due to going off-track on his final attempt.
Formula 1 fans can expect a thrilling Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, with Norris aiming to capitalize on his maiden pole position of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season.
🔗 Source