George Russell seized pole position for a race that could snap championship-leading teammate Kimi Antonelli's winning streak while Lewis Hamilton split the Mercedes pair in Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday.
Italian Antonelli, who will be seeking a sixth win in a row on Sunday to extend what is currently a 66-point lead over seven-times world champion Hamilton, qualified third with McLaren's world champion Lando Norris fourth.
Mercedes have taken pole in all seven F1 races so far in 2026, winning them all, and Saturday was Russell's third of the season to 19-year-old Antonelli's four -- a morale boost for the Briton as he seeks to bounce back from two races without scoring.
"Nice to feel in the groove again," said Russell over the team radio after lapping 0.064 of a second quicker than compatriot Hamilton for a 10th career pole ahead of what will be his 100th grand prix for Mercedes.
Follow the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix with The Independent.
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F1 BARCELONA-CATALUNYA GP - LATEST UPDATES
- The Barcelona-Catalunya GP starts at 2pm BST on Sunday
- George Russell on pole in Barcelona; Hamilton 2nd; Antonelli 3rd
- ‘I left the track’: Lewis Hamilton reveals radical preparation for best-ever Ferrari F1 qualifying
- CRASH! Charles Leclerc out of qualifying
- Kimi Antonelli has a 66-point lead after six races
What time is the race on Sunday?
16:28 , Kieran JacksonThe Barcelona-Catalunya GP starts at 2pm BST.
George Russell is on pole with Lewis Hamilton alongside him. Box-office.
Cadillac drivers after their Q1 exit:
21:00 , Kieran JacksonDebriefing the day 🫡 pic.twitter.com/itH2QzW87I
— Cadillac Formula 1 Team (@Cadillac_F1) June 13, 2026
Lando Norris after qualifying P4:
20:00 , Kieran Jackson“We showed some progress today and I'm reasonably happy with P4. The Red Flag in the final corner on my first push lap was unlucky and probably cost us a shot at P3, but P4 is still a strong place to start. Compared to Monaco, we’re back closer to where we should be, and the pace felt better overall. With that said, the gap to Pole, around three and a half tenth, is still significant, and the car wasn’t easy to drive with the wind and heat making it inconsistent, especially at the rear.
"Looking at the race, it’s going to be a hot, high-degradation race and tyre management will be everything. Strategy could go one, two, or even three stops depending on how the tyres behave, and I think most teams will end up doing similar things. There’s definitely an opportunity off the start, with smart calls, to move forward, but sustaining that against Ferrari and Mercedes over 66 laps will be tough.
“We’ll fight for every chance, maximise track position and try to force errors, but we’re realistic, if we’re three tenths off per lap today, we need to be perfect to stay in the mix tomorrow. Overall, happy with the step we’ve made, not happy enough with the gap. We’ll keep pushing."
‘I left the track’: Lewis Hamilton reveals radical preparation for best-ever Ferrari F1 qualifying
19:00 , Kieran JacksonLewis Hamilton revealed he left the circuit ahead of his best-ever qualifying for Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on Saturday.
The 41-year-old, who has finished second on the podium in the last two rounds in Canada and Monaco, was within a tenth of a second of pole position in Barcelona.
Mercedes’ George Russell, Hamilton’s former teammate, pipped the seven-time world champion to top spot with F1 world championship leader Kimi Antonelli in third place – the first time this season the Italian won’t start a grand prix on the front row.
Yet in his post-session interview, Hamilton divulged that he went back to his off-site motorhome in between final practice and qualifying, setting him up for a first-ever front row start in Ferrari red.
Full quotes below:
‘I left the track’: Hamilton reveals radical preparation for Barcelona qualifying
Full starting grid:
18:00 , Kieran Jackson1. George Russell (Mercedes)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
4. Lando Norris (McLaren)
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
6. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
8. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
9. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
10. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
11. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
12. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
13. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
14. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
15. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
16. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
17. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
18. Alex Albon (Williams)
19. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
21. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
22. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Fernando Alonso after qualifying last at his home event:
17:30 , Kieran Jackson“There are no surprises that we qualified at the back as we know this is our level of car performance right now. We had downshifting issues and it was very difficult to drive the car in each Qualifying lap.
“It’s always special to drive in front of the Spanish fans though and thanks to them for their amazing support over the weekend.”
George Russell after claiming pole:
17:10 , Kieran Jackson“It’s been a great weekend so far, feel like my old self again. The last few races having been on our side, but clean slate this weekend, felt good and great to be on pole.
“It’s going to be an interesting race tomorrow, Lewis did an amazing job to get up there. We thought the fight was with us and McLaren. We’ll have a fight on our hands.”
Lewis Hamilton after qualifying P2:
16:57 , Kieran Jackson”It feels great to be up there with them. These tyres only last one lap… I left the track between p3 and qualifying, I went back to my motorhome, came back and then was first.
“These guys did a great lap, congrats to George, but we’re in a good position to fight for tomorrow.
“All weekend we’ve been four-tenths off these guys – for us to be a tenth off, shows the hard work that’s been done. Big thank you to everyone back to Maranello, hopefully we can keep up with these guys tomorrow for once.”
Kimi Antonelli after finishing third:
16:45 , Kieran Jackson“It’s been a little bit of a difficult weekend so far, didn’t have the feeling with the car. Long run was strong yesterday; today I’ve been lacking a little bit – looking forward to tomorrow.
“We’ll try to get a good start and make the best use of the tow; the slipstream will be strong, a lot of work to do.”
It’s the first time this season that Antonelli will not start a grand prix on the front-row.
Top-10 in Barcelona-Catalunya GP qualifying:
16:27 , Kieran Jackson1. George Russell (Mercedes)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
4. Lando Norris (McLaren)
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
6. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
8. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
9. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
10. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
George Russell, team radio:
16:18 , Kieran JacksonWolff: “George, how does it feel?”
Russell: “Nice to feel the groove again.”
George Russell on pole position
16:13 , Kieran JacksonThe Briton goes even quicker - and he needed to after Antonelli briefly had provisional pole - and he has pole by 0.064 secs to Lewis Hamilton, who claims a terrific second late on!
Antonelli takes third, with Norris in fourth and Verstappen fifth.
6-10: Hadjar, Piastri, Lawson, Hulkenberg, Leclerc
George Russell quickest out of early runners
16:08 , Kieran JacksonNot quite provisional pole, with only six times set, but Russell top of all of them so far.
He’s 0.031 secs ahead of Piastri in second, followed by Verstappen, Antonelli, Hadjar and Hamilton.
Lewis will want better than that...
4:00 to go in Q3...
VIDEO: Leclerc's crash
16:06 , Kieran JacksonThat's a pretty big hit 💥
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 13, 2026
Here's the moment Leclerc's qualifying came to an end 🎥#F1 #BarcelonaGP pic.twitter.com/XmX5kp76mw
Q3 resumes
16:05 , Kieran Jackson8:30 left. Should be time for two laps, still.
Nine remain.
Leclerc's car being moved
15:56 , Kieran JacksonThe crane is out to move Leclerc’s car.
The man himself has been taken away in the medical car.
A real shock: Leclerc has actually been quicker than Hamilton!
He just lost the car coming out of turn 4...
Charles Leclerc is out
15:53 , Kieran JacksonRED FLAG!
Leclerc has crashed into the wall at turn 5! His Ferrari car slammed into the wll!
He looks fine, emerging from the car, but with the crash being over 25G, the medical car has been deployed.
Q3 stopped with 8:30 to go.
Q3 underway
15:48 , Kieran JacksonRight then, here we go!
10 drivers involved: Russell, Antonelli, Norris, Piastri, Hamilton, Leclerc, Verstappen, Hadjar, Lawson, Hulkenberg
Who will be at the front of the grid for tomorrow’s race?
P11-16
15:43 , Kieran Jackson11. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
12. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
13. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
14. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
15. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
16. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
Gasly out
15:42 , Kieran JacksonA frustrating session for Alpine - who don’t make it - but Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg is through in P10!
Arvid Lindblad just misses out.
Bottom-six and out in Q2 (11-16): Lindblad, Bortoleto, Colapinto, Gasly, Bearman, Sainz
Top-3: Russell, Leclerc, Antonelli
Time for the top-10 shootout now!
George Russell quickest
15:34 , Kieran JacksonEarly statement in Q2 from Russell, ahead of Leclerc by 0.052 secs.
Down at the bottom, no real surprises.
Current bottom-six (11-16): Bortoleto, Colaptino, Bearman, Gasly, Sainz, Hulkenberg
6:00 to go in Q2...
Q2 underway
15:28 , Kieran JacksonA dearth of activity in the early minutes as we get going with Q2.
15 minutes - who will make the top-10 shootout in Barcelona?
Positions 17-22:
15:27 , Kieran Jackson17. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
18. Alex Albon (Williams)
19. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
21. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
22. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Fernando Alonso out
15:26 , Kieran JacksonNot just out and bottom - but slower than Lance Stroll for the first time in 43 qualifying sessions!
Desperate for the Spaniard, in what he has confirmed to be his last appearance in Barcelona.
Bottom-six (17-22) and out in Q1: Ocon, Albon, Perez, Bottas, Stroll, Alonso
Top-3: Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc
Esteban Ocon in bottom-six for now
15:13 , Kieran JacksonOcon in P19 has work to do. Other than that, the bottom six is largely as expected.
Current bottom-six (17-22): Perez, Ocon, Bottas, Albon, Alonso, Stroll. Carlos Sainz is the man just outside the drop-zone.
Top-3: Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc
5:00 to go in Q1.
Carlos Sainz quickest out of early runners
15:07 , Kieran JacksonPretty routine running so far, with Sainz the quickest out of seven drivers to set times.
This track, of course, is one they all know so well given that testing used to take place here.
A reminder: we won’t see this circuit next year as it switches to a biennial rotation with Spa.
12:00 to go in Q1.
Q1 underway
15:02 , Kieran JacksonBig queue at the end of the pit-lane as we get underway with Q1.
18 minutes of action where we’ll lose the slowest six cars from the rest of qualifying.
Can Cadillac and Aston Martin, somehow, find a way through?
Weather in Barcelona
14:58 , Kieran JacksonHot, pretty hot.
Temperatures around 28C - and it’s in the 40s at track level.
How the drivers can nurse their tyres will be critical in this qualifying session...
Qualifying in Barcelona
14:50 , Kieran JacksonIt’s a big hour for George Russell, me thinks.
It’s early in the season but the wave of momentum is completely in Kimi Antonelli’s favour. Can his Mercedes teammate bounce back?
McLaren look Mercedes’s closest rival this weekend, but Ferrari are not far behind either.
As for Red Bull, they’ve been on the back foot it’d be foolish to doubt Max Verstappen.
Qualifying coming up in 10 minutes!
McLaren's Lando Norris:
14:40 , Kieran Jackson"We're up there with the people we want to be with," he said after topping FP2 on Friday.
"It's hot and I don't think anyone's going to be that happy.
"It's difficult with the wind and with the conditions but it seems to be working better than the last few weeks, which is a good sign."
VIDEO: Gasly after Monaco podium reinstated
14:28 , Kieran Jackson"I'm very proud of the FIA for the transparency" 🗣️
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 12, 2026
Pierre Gasly shares his thoughts after his penalty from the Monaco GP was withdrawn. pic.twitter.com/8I8l3PXmZe
Kimi Antonelli on a tricky practice
14:00 , Kieran Jackson"The tyres are overheating quite a lot," said Antonelli on Friday.
"Just trying to find the best balance. With only one lap, it is always difficult, but overall there is still quite a bit of work to do," he said.
"But I am quite confident ahead of [Saturday]. Long run was good but looking forward to tomorrow and the changes we're going to make."
Constructor standings ahead of Barcelona
13:30 , Kieran Jackson1. Mercedes - 244 points
2. Ferrari - 165 points
3. McLaren - 116 points
4. Red Bull - 69 points
5. Alpine - 50 points
6. Racing Bulls - 35 points
7. Haas - 21 points
8. Williams - 11 points
9. Audi - 2 points
10. Cadillac - 1 point
11. Aston Martin - 0 points
VIDEO: Did you spot this?
13:10 , Kieran JacksonLeclerc with... Hamilton’s number on his shirt:
CL... 44?! 🧐#F1 #BarcelonaGP pic.twitter.com/ej5hkjpVhT
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 11, 2026
Max Verstappen on Red Bull's lack of competitiveness:
13:01 , Kieran Jackson"For sure not," he said, when asked if he could be fighting at the front. "We lose in the high speed, low speed and medium speed, the whole day lacking grip, feeling with the car, the balance. Nothing felt nice.
"There is no grip, the cars are drifting around, tyres not giving any kind of grip. We struggled a little more than the top guys but I think no one had a good balance."
Top-10 in FP3
12:50 , Kieran Jackson1. George Russell (Mercedes) - 1:15.679
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.214
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.243
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.246
5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.702
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.755
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.821
8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +1.005
9. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) +1.282
10. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +1.341
Qualifying start time:
12:40 , Kieran JacksonQualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is at 3pm BST.
It feels like a really big one for George Russell, if he’s to turn his season around.
And what about Lewis Hamilton? Can he claim a first grand prix pole for Ferrari?
George Russell fastest in FP3
12:34 , Kieran JacksonA much-needed session of positivity for George Russell, who goes fastest in the third and final practice session.
Two-tenths behind is Oscar Piastri, then Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.
5-10: Hamilton, Verstappen, Antonelli, Hadjar, Hulkenberg, Lindblad.
Now onto qualifying!
Kimi Antonelli angry
12:27 , Kieran JacksonAntonelli has been blocked by Stroll and a Haas car on a timed lap - and he’s not happy about it.
Antonelli: “Unbelievable mate.”
Bonnington: “I don’t tell those cars to leave the pit-lane, mate.”
Perhaps an underlying tone to ‘relax’ from his race engineer.
George Russell fastest with 10 to go
12:25 , Kieran JacksonRussell, with a 1:15:679, is fastest by two-tenths to Piastri and Norris.
4-10: Hamilton, Verstappen, Antonelli, Leclerc, Hulkenberg, Lindblad, Bortoleto
Lando Norris quickest after 30 mins
11:59 , Kieran JacksonMuch like yesterday, Norris is on form early on - going fastest by 0.076 secs to Charles Leclerc in second.
Oscar Piastri is third, six-tenths off his teammate, with Lindblad in fourth and Hulkenberg in fifth.
More of the frontrunners setting their first competitive laps in FP3 now...
Cheers for Alonso
11:52 , Kieran JacksonFernando Alonso makes his way onto the circuit and receives a chorus of cheers from the Spaniard’s fans in the grandstands.
Alonso said it would be a “miracle” if Aston Martin made it out of Q1 - let’s see how he rolls this morning.
Perez goes wide
11:43 , Kieran JacksonThe Cadillac driver, the first man out on track, goes wide and flicks up some gravel as he begins his run on Saturday.
Only a handful of drivers out on track in the opening 10 minutes...
FP3 underway
11:31 , Kieran JacksonAmid scorching hot conditions in Barcelona, we’re underway with the third and final practice.
A critical final hour for the drivers to get accustomed to the conditions ahead of a key qualifying session later this afternoon.
Who will put down the final marker?
A reminder of the top-10 in the driver standings heading into qualifying:
11:24 , Kieran Jackson1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 156 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 90 points
3. George Russell (Mercedes) - 88 points
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 75 points
5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 58 points
6. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 58 points
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 43 points
8. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 35 points
9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 26 points
10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 24 points
Start times in Barcelona:
11:23 , Kieran JacksonAll times BST
Saturday 13 June
- Free practice 3: 11:30am
- Qualifying: 3pm
Sunday 14 June
- Race: 2pm
F1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
11:20 , Kieran JacksonFormula 1 heads to Barcelona for the renamed Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix this weekend and round seven of the 2026 F1 season.
Life could not be better for Kimi Antonelli right now. In Monaco, he claimed his fifth consecutive victory with a dominant lights-to-flag performance after claiming a stunning pole position. His lead in the world championship is now 66 points.
Lewis Hamilton is now Antonelli’s closest contender after finishing second in Monte-Carlo, a fortnight after finishing second in Canada. The 41-year-old is showing his best form in Ferrari colours, but is still chasing that elusive first grand prix win.
As for George Russell, it was another frustrating weekend as he finished outside of the points after a late drive-through penalty. It was in Barcelona last year that he tangled with Max Verstappen - what will happen this time around?
