We saw a truly exciting and dramatic qualifying session, which also produced a surprising result: Carlos Sainz will start from pole position tomorrow!
After the first fast laps of Q1, Max Verstappen took the lead, but the drivers often changed behind him. Pierre Gasly, Nico Hülkenberg and later Verstappen appeared, as Lando Norris took the lead. In the end, Norris won the first stage ahead of Carlos Sainz and Verstappen, while Oscar Piastri, Sergio Perez, Franco Collapinto, Esteban Ocon and Guanyu Zhou were among the big surprises eliminated.
Q2 also revolved around the Norris-Verstappen duel, but the Mercedes also came close behind. Scuderia Ferrari, however, seemed to be suffering at that time. However, during the second attempts, the red cars managed to improve significantly, so Sainz caught up with the Norris-Verstappen pair, who won Q2. Many were not so lucky, as those who started their second fast laps late were no longer able to complete them due to an accident and a red flag. Two Aston Martins, two VISA Racing Bulls and Valtteri Bottas were eliminated at this stage.
After the first attempts in Q3 we surprisingly saw the names Sainz, Leclerc and Russell at the top, while Norris and Verstappen only took fifth and tenth place. However, Carlos Sainz was very focused and did not find a winner that evening. The Spaniard took a clear pole position ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, thus creating a serious chance to say goodbye to the Italian team with a victory.
