Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix always exposes the strengths and weaknesses of F1 cars. In the last few events, on average, McLaren have been the fastest car. It was the same again today, with Norris beating Verstappen to Pole by two hundredths. It was an all-Mercedes second row all Mercedes, which confirmed the strong pace it showed in Canada – although the real test comes tomorrow.
Spain’s temperatures on race day should favour both the W15 and the MCL38. Colder temperatures in Barcelona should alleviate potential tyre troubles. Ferrari could only manage the third row in qualifying, three tenths away from Pole Position. Russell, Gasly, Perez, Ocon and Piastri completed the top 10.
Norris vs Verstappen: Without Perez’ tow, the gap could have been two-tenths
The gap between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen was only 20 thousandths. However, the deficit would have been two-tenths without Verstappen receiving a tow from his teammate. The Dutchman said this slipstream was completely accidental:
“At the start of the lap, I didn’t even know where Checo was. It was a matter of luck,” said Verstappen at the end of qualifying. The fact Verstappen could not take Pole Position, even with the tow, is significant.
McLaren’s MCL38 was devastating, especially in the medium-speed corners, such as 4, 5, and 7. In these sections, Norris gained almost two-tenths over Verstappen’s RB20.
However, Norris’ MCL38 reached the third sector with rather tired tyres. This was a symptom of pushing the tyres early in the first sector. For tomorrow, this will need to be managed – though cooler conditions shouldhelp on this front.
This was the only factor that jeopardised Norris from taking a well-earned Pole Position.
“You feel it when you have a perfect lap, and this was it. I haven’t had many poles in my career, but this was certainly the best,” said the strong English driver at the end of qualifying.
According to Helmut Marko, Norris is the favourite to win tomorrow’s race: “If we take Friday’s long runs, McLaren is clearly the favourite.
“But with the changes we have made to the car, I think the wear will be better for us than in the second free practice,” said the super consultant of the world champion team.
Mercedes vs Ferrari: Sainz reported bouncing on his SF-24
The car from Maranello was one of the most talked about heading into this weekend. This is thanks to the important upgrade package brought to Spain. Ferrari’s main changes include the diffuser and the sidepods, which have been further slimmed down.
As Charles Leclerc himself admitted, the qualifying result was disappointing. Not only was the final position underwhelming, but the gap to first was significant.
Fred Vasseur, however, highlighted how the Monegasque made a mistake at turn 5, which cost him more than a tenth and two starting positions in tomorrow’s race.
Leclerc also aassured that the updates work, but further optimisation is needed.
“We can certainly optimize the new package even more, but I wouldn’t take it as an excuse,” clarified Leclerc after qualifying.
The words of Carlos Sainz were more alarming, who stated that he suffered from bouncing. He claims this cost him around a tenth in qualifying, whilst also compromising his tyres in sector 3. The SF-24 struggled notably in Turn 9 and the last corner.
Compared to Mercedes, Ferrari were ahead for most of the lap – losing their advantage at the very end.
