Lewis Hamilton instantly knew exactly where he ‘lost’ Barcelona Grand Prix pole to George Russell

Follow us on Google Discover

Lewis Hamilton immediately knew where he ‘lost’ the Barcelona Grand Prix pole position to George Russell after crossing the line.

On Saturday afternoon, Mercedes driver George Russell stormed to pole position around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, ahead of Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli.

During the final runs in Q3, Antonelli had provisional pole before Russell snatched it off his teammate with a 1:14.679.

Hamilton then produced the fastest sector two and ended up missing out on pole position by just 0.064 seconds.

It’s George Russell on pole in Barcelona! Rate his chances of cutting Kimi Antonelli’s points lead with a victory on Sunday?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Lewis Hamilton instantly knew exactly where he ‘lost’ Barcelona Grand Prix pole position

Immediately after crossing the finish line, Hamilton was quick to pinpoint where he ‘lost’ a potential pole position. 

Taking to the team radio, Hamilton’s race engineer, Carlo Santi, said: “Mode slow. Mode slow. We are P2!” 

In response, Hamilton replied: “Good job, guys! Argh, I lost that in Turn 1…A bit deep!”

Santi then said: “Less than a tenth, half a tenth from P1. Well done.” To which Hamilton replied: “Good job, guys!”

While Hamilton is set to start on the front row in Sunday’s Grand Prix, his teammate Charles Leclerc endured a tough session.

Leclerc brought out the red flag after crashing into the barriers, meaning he will start the Grand Prix from P10.

READ MORE: Martin Brundle issues ‘unusual’ verdict on ‘25G+’ Charles Leclerc crash at the Barcelona Grand Prix

Toto Wolff worried about Lewis Hamilton ahead of Barcelona Grand Prix

Although Mercedes have been the dominant force of 2026, team boss Toto Wolff is worried about Hamilton ahead of Sunday. 

As per Sky Sports F1, Wolff said: “My old friend… when people doubted whether he still had the speed, I’ve always said if he’s in the right frame of mind and the car suits him, then he is to be reckoned with.

“You need to count him in and that’s what he did today. If there isn’t a tiny mistake at the end, he is a tenth-and-a-half quicker than us.

“I think it’s going to play out in tyre degradation and we were quite good in the long run yesterday – but it all depends on the start.

“If Lewis is ahead after the start, that’s going to be a tough one for everyone, so I’m really curious to see how that pans out.”