Formula 1: Verstappen dominates and races to pole in Barcelona

formula 1
Verstappen dominates and races to pole in Barcelona

Max Verstappen took pole position in Barcelona. photo

© Hasan Bratic/dpa

Max Verstappen is also unbeatable in Barcelona. The world champion is the first to enter the Formula 1 race in Spain. Some of his competitors fail in qualifying.

After his confident drive to first place on the grid, Max Verstappen had nothing but praise for his frighteningly superior Red Bull.

“The car is really, really good. It was great fun driving here,” said the Formula 1 world champion in Barcelona. Apparently in a playful manner, the 25-year-old Dutchman secured pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday (3 p.m. / Sky) by almost half a second.

On the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Verstappen’s lap time of 1:12.272 minutes was almost impossible for anyone to beat. Behind the world championship leader, the Spaniard Carlos Sainz in his Ferrari came closest, 0.462 seconds back in second place. Third place went to Brit Lando Norris in a McLaren. For Verstappen it was the fourth pole position this year and the 24th of his career.

One day after third place, Nico Hülkenberg was strong again in practice and finished eighth in the Haas racing car. “I’m satisfied and feel good with the car. It was fun to drive at the limit,” said Hulkenberg on Sky. Because the Frenchman Pierre Gasly, who finished fourth, was subsequently given a six-place grid penalty, Hülkenberg even started the Grand Prix in seventh place.

Vice world champion Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari, on the other hand, had a very weak afternoon and only managed 19th place. Sergio Perez, second in the World Championship in the second Red Bull, also disappointed and missed the top ten in eleventh place.

Verstappen with fond memories of Barcelona

Barcelona is a special place for Verstappen. In 2016, at the age of just 18 years and 228 days, he managed his first Formula 1 victory, and it was also his first ever appearance for Red Bull. Last year he won again at the north-west Barcelona circuit en route to his second World Championship title. In the five years in between, Lewis Hamilton had prevailed on the course, which was slightly modified this year. At the end of the lap, an unloved chicane was replaced by a faster corner. This made the lap times significantly faster.

The conditions in the hunt for times were difficult. After it was dry during two training sessions on Friday, rain came a day later during the last practice run. In qualifying, two and a half hours later, mixed conditions prevailed, and the fear of further precipitation was omnipresent. But these did not come. After less than four minutes, the first qualifying section had to be interrupted because after Valtteri had left Bottas, gravel had gotten onto the track.

Leclerc disappointed – trouble at Mercedes

After the route was reopened, Charles Leclerc experienced a great disappointment. The runner-up world champion with a Ferrari dropped out in the first round. In the next section, World Championship runner-up Sergio Perez went off the track and then didn’t make it far enough forward. The 35-year-old Hülkenberg, who secured his best qualifying result to date in the Haas, succeeded in doing this.

Meanwhile, there was trouble at Mercedes. The cars of record world champion Lewis Hamilton and teammate George Russell touched during the second qualifying phase. “Thank God nothing serious happened but it was just a communication error on our part,” said Russell, who overlooked Hamilton in the second leg. Hamilton destroyed his front wing in the short contact at high speed.

dpa

source site-2