Mercedes driver George Russell bounced back to form by taking pole position for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on Saturday as team-mate championship leader Kimi Antonelli had to settle for third on the grid.
Seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari was second fastest, with McLaren's world champion Lando Norris fourth and Red Bull's Max Verstappen fifth.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc - under pressure after a mixed start to the season - smashed into the wall after Turn 4 but appeared unhurt. The front of his car was a mess and he is set to start Sunday's race in 10th after not setting a time.
Russell, who won the first grand prix of the season in Australia before Antonelli triumphed in the next five, was only 12th in Monaco last time but set 1 minute 14.679 seconds on the Catalan track a week later.
He was 0.064 seconds quicker than British compatriot Hamilton having also topped two practice sessions.
Antonelli leads the championship by 68 points from Russell.
There were no real surprises in Q2, although Audi's Nico Hülkenberg managed to sneak into the final shoot-out in 10th. The German moved up to a season-high ninth on the grid after Leclerc's Q3 crash.
In Q1, Lance Stroll outqualified Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martins for the first time since mid-2024 - 42 grands prix - but both were still bottom of the timesheets.
