Russell grabs Barcelona pole as Hamilton, Antonelli complete top three

• Photo courtesy of George Rusell

George Russell put Mercedes on top in Barcelona after taking pole position with a 1:14.679 lap in Q3, edging Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in a tight qualifying session for the 2026 season.

Hamilton placed second with a 1:14.743, just 0.064 seconds behind Russell, while Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli completed the top three with a 1:14.998.

Russell said the result marked a strong reset after a difficult stretch in recent races.

“Obviously, the last few races for numerous reasons haven’t quite been on our side, but I came in this weekend with just a clean slate, felt good and yeah, just great to be on pole,” Russell said after qualifying.

The Mercedes driver also noted that the race could be interesting, with Barcelona’s traditional circuit layout and softer tire allocation expected to play a role on Sunday.

Hamilton, meanwhile, delivered one of Ferrari’s strongest qualifying performances of the weekend. The seven-time world champion said the team’s progress reflected the work done behind the scenes, particularly with upgrades brought to the track.

“It shows just a real showing of the hard work that everyone at the factory has done to bring these upgrades to this track, so big thank you to everyone back in Maranello,” Hamilton said.

Antonelli admitted that his weekend had not been smooth, but said his long-run pace gave him confidence heading into the race.

“Difficult weekend so far for me. Didn’t really have the feeling with the car, but long run was strong yesterday. So, definitely that’s a positive,” Antonelli said.

McLaren’s Lando Norris qualified fourth with a 1:15.001, narrowly ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, who settled for fifth with a 1:15.021.

Isack Hadjar placed sixth for Red Bull Racing, followed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in seventh. Liam Lawson took eighth for Racing Bulls, while Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg placed ninth.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc reached Q3 but was listed as DNF in the final session, leaving him tenth on the grid.

With Russell, Hamilton, and Antonelli separated at the front, the long run to Turn 1 could become one of the key moments of the race, especially if the drivers behind can use the slipstream at the start.