Lewis Hamilton finished 0.064 seconds behind George Russell in qualifying for the Barcelona‑Catalunya Grand Prix, a gap that Hamilton believes stemmed from a small mistake in Turn 1. He said he carried too much speed into the corner, ran wide and under‑steered through the first two bends, losing roughly half‑a‑tenth to a tenth of a second – enough to swing the pole battle.
The error came after a chaotic session that included a red‑flag caused by Charles Leclerc’s crash and a debate over tyre choice. Hamilton opted for the same set of tyres used on his aborted lap, which had already dropped off significantly. Despite setting the fastest time in the second sector, he lost the final sector to Russell, who was quicker on the power‑rich long straight. Hamilton’s struggle in practice, where he sat out FP1 and fought for rear‑end grip, forced a big leap into qualifying, but the marginal loss proved decisive.
Ferrari’s unexpected pace has revived Hamilton’s hopes for a race win, though Mercedes remains the favorite. With a likely two‑stop strategy, Hamilton says the team will see if the car can challenge for victory on Sunday.
