Hamilton fourth, Leclerc fifth in close Spanish Grand Prix qualifying for Ferrari at Madring
Lewis Hamilton will start the Spanish Grand Prix fourth and Charles Leclerc fifth after both Ferrari drivers improved on their final qualifying laps at the new Madring circuit but were edged down the order.
- 1'32"013
- 1'32"019
- 1'32"079
- 15:00 CEST
What Happened
Both Ferrari drivers began qualifying on Medium tyres with the aim of saving a set of Soft tyres for the race, and made it comfortably through Q1 with almost identical times. In Q2 they switched to Softs and progressively went quicker, reaching the decisive phase without problems, where each had two sets of new Softs available. Hamilton's first Q3 lap of 1'32"079 was provisionally quickest, while Leclerc's 1'32"285 was good enough for fourth. On their second and final flying laps both improved - Hamilton to 1'32"013 and Leclerc to 1'32"019 - but rivals also went faster, leaving the two Ferraris fourth and fifth.
Ferrari gathers limited long-run data at the Madring circuit, which the team says may not be fully representative.
Qualifying in Madrid: Hamilton fourth on 1'32"013, Leclerc fifth on 1'32"019.
Race start at 15:00 CEST, with Hamilton on the second row and Leclerc on the third.
1'32"013Q3 time
Set by Lewis Hamilton on his final flying lap, with Charles Leclerc next on 1'32"019.
“Although the session didn't quite end with the result we wanted, it was a solid performance overall. The car felt good throughout. My first lap in Q3 was strong, but it didn't quite come together on the final run, which cost us a few positions. P4 isn't where I think we could have been, but there are positives to take from the session. It's a great circuit to drive, and tomorrow will be about consistency and tyre management. Degradation could be a key factor, so the focus will be on executing well and making the most of every opportunity in the race.”
“It's an interesting track to drive on. There may have been a bit of margin for extracting more, but all in all, it was quite a good lap. There aren't many spots where overtaking is possible here, so we will see how the race unfolds and try to take any opportunity we have to get ahead.”
“When you are P1 after the first run in Q3, for sure you are targeting pole. I think Lewis made a small mistake at the start of his last flying lap and left around a tenth and a half in the first sector. Charles did a good lap and improved massively through Turns 5 and 6, but with such small gaps between the cars, it was not enough to do better than fifth. Now let's focus on tomorrow: the data from long runs on Friday might not be fully representative, as no one really focused on this and the track is still evolving very quickly. From today's F2 and F3 races, it's clear that overtaking is extremely difficult on this track but we also know the race could be chaotic, so we need to be ready to take every opportunity, whether that comes from a VSC, a Safety Car or even a red flag.”
Hamilton and Leclerc will start tomorrow's race at 15:00 CEST from the second and third rows respectively, in a race the team expects to be unpredictable. The Madring circuit is new for everyone and its track surface is in constant evolution, so the data from Friday's limited long runs may not be entirely representative. Ferrari will spend this evening working on preparing for as many scenarios as possible so it can grab any opportunity that comes its way. Vasseur added that the race could be chaotic, with a Virtual Safety Car, Safety Car or even a red flag possible.
Previously from Ferrari N.V.
Ferrari arrived at the new Madring circuit having taken third and fourth in opening practice, with Charles Leclerc third and Lewis Hamilton fourth and the pair completing 54 laps between them. In second practice, Leclerc was second fastest and Hamilton third as the team completed 49 laps. Before the weekend, Hamilton played down any advantage from his July filming-day laps at the new circuit, saying Ferrari had to focus on executing the Spanish Grand Prix weekend as well as possible.
- Ferrari takes third and fourth in Spanish Grand Prix opening practice at new Madring circuit
- Leclerc second, Hamilton third for Ferrari in Spanish Grand Prix second practice
- Hamilton plays down Madring filming-day laps as Ferrari targets strong Spanish Grand Prix weekend
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ferrari N.V.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Qualifying sets the grid for tomorrow's race, and Ferrari's drivers ended up fourth and fifth on a circuit where the team itself says overtaking is extremely difficult. That makes gaining positions on Sunday harder, though Ferrari expects an unpredictable race shaped by tyre wear and possible safety-car periods, which could open opportunities for the team and its drivers.
Terms in This Story
- Q1, Q2, Q3
- The three knockout phases of a Formula 1 qualifying session; drivers are eliminated in Q1 and Q2, while the fastest in Q3 take the front of the starting grid.
- Flying lap
- A timed lap driven at full speed, usually after a warm-up lap, rather than an out-lap or in-lap.
- VSC
- Virtual Safety Car: a race-control procedure that slows the whole field to a fixed pace without a physical safety car on track, often used to clear debris.
- Degradation
- The gradual loss of grip and pace as a tyre wears during a race, which can force drivers to manage their speed or pit for new tyres.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.