Russell storms to Barcelona pole ahead of Hamilton and Antonelli as Leclerc crashes

George Russell claimed pole position for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, delivering a superb final lap to head Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli at the end of a hotly contested qualifying session interrupted by a Q3 crash for Charles Leclerc.

Russell, who had shown strong pace throughout practice and led the way in Q2, produced a benchmark lap of 1:14.679 to secure his third pole of the season. Hamilton came closest to denying him, finishing just 0.064s adrift, while championship leader Antonelli had to settle for third.

Q3 began with Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen setting the early pace before the session was halted when Leclerc lost control at Turn 4 after running wide onto the dusty outside line. The Ferrari snapped into the barriers, leaving Leclerc without a time and 10th on the grid.

When running resumed, Russell moved to provisional pole with a 1:15.145 before the final runs brought a flurry of improvements. Antonelli briefly jumped ahead on a 1:14.998, but Russell responded by lowering the target by more than three tenths. Hamilton's late effort then split the Mercedes pair.

Lando Norris will start fourth for McLaren, 0.003s behind Antonelli, with Verstappen fifth for Red Bull. Isack Hadjar completed the third row, while Piastri slipped to seventh. Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg and Leclerc completed the top 10.

2026 FIA Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Qualifying
1 George Russell Mercedes 1:14.679
2 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:14.743
3 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:14.998
4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:15.001
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:15.021
6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:15.077
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:15.090
8 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:16.542
9 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:16.657
10 Charles Leclerc Ferrari -