Verstappen and Sainz, a beautiful front row for the Spanish GP. The first, with a sidereal pole: four tenths of an advantage in a very complex classification, because the asphalt suddenly cooled down after the rain. The second, the reborn Carlos: between rumors, with an incomprehensible Ferrari, after a strategic error in Monaco that nobody defends in his garage. “And he needed it,” he said as he got out of the car. The Spaniard was back to being forever and starts from the best possible position for his car, second, when his teammate was second from bottom. Thoroughly, tight against rivals who should not be in the same league as Ferrari. Of all of them, the earthly ones that are not called Max, the best was Sainz.
Too bad Alonso wasn’t part of that fight. He only had a fresh set of softs for Q3 and perhaps lacked the feel of a first attempt. He went wide in turn ten. He was ninth, 1.2 seconds behind. He himself had been in front until then, hence the disappointment. That said, it can be traced in the Spanish GP (Fernando himself demonstrated it in 2022, he started from the end and scored points). And the slight degradation of the Aston Martin should be an advantage in a race that traditionally involves two strategies. Among the best, a great Norris (3rd, 0.520), Gasly with the Alpine and Hamilton. Stroll surprised with the sixth after several Saturdays with little luck.
In any case, what a difficult classification to read, full of surprises, big mistakes and a grotesque accident between the two Mercedes. In Q1, Leclerc was eliminated due to a lack of rhythm. In the absence of diagnosis, there was no more in that Ferrari. He didn’t lack for tries, that was just it. He finished between the two Williams, penultimate, and from that dishonorable position the SF-23 will start this Sunday in Montmeló. In Q2, Checo was the protagonist: he went through the gravel and did not know how to put the lap back together with the subsequent attempt, he will start 11th.
But for incident, that of Hamilton and Russell. A kind of slipstream of those that are not practiced until the last moment ended with the two W13s touching at the end of the finish line, with damage to both (and George eliminated, 12th). Lewis bounced back with a new front wing, but the situation bordered on the ridiculous. The bun oven was not on this Saturday at the Circuit.
Results of the classification of the Spanish GP
