In a surprising twist ahead of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton shared that he stepped away from the track just before achieving his best-ever qualifying performance for Ferrari. The 41-year-old racing legend, who recently claimed second place in both Canada and Monaco, came within a mere 0.064 seconds of securing pole position.
Hamilton’s former teammate, George Russell, clinched the top spot, while Kimi Antonelli, the current F1 championship leader, settled for third. This marked the first time this season that Antonelli wouldn’t start from the front row.
In a candid post-qualifying interview, Hamilton revealed that he took a break from the circuit, retreating to his off-site motorhome between the final practice session and qualifying. This unconventional strategy seemed to pay off, as he secured a front-row start in Ferrari red for the first time in his career.
“It feels fantastic to be up there with the Mercedes drivers,” Hamilton expressed. “I took some time away from the track between P3 and qualifying, went back to my motorhome, and returned to find myself leading in Q1.”
Despite Hamilton’s impressive performance, his teammate Charles Leclerc, who had outpaced Hamilton in practice, faced misfortune, crashing out early in Q3 due to what appeared to be a driver error.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris will begin the race from fourth, with Max Verstappen following closely in fifth.
For Russell, the pole position was a much-needed boost after a challenging few races. “This weekend has been fantastic so far; I feel like my old self again,” he remarked. “The last few races haven’t gone our way, but it’s a fresh start this weekend, and I’m thrilled to be on pole.”
As the excitement builds for the Barcelona-Catalunya GP, set to kick off at 2 PM BST, fans are left wondering: can Hamilton maintain his momentum and challenge for victory?
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