Mercedes driver George Russell bounced back to form by taking pole position for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on Saturday as championship leader Kimi Antonelli had to settle for third on the grid.
Seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari was second fastest in a slight surprise, with McLaren's world champion Lando Norris fourth and predecessor Max Verstappen fifth in his Red Bull.
Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren was only seventh quickest between Red Bull's Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson from sister team Racing Bulls.
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 team mate 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.
"Nice to feel the groove again," the 28-year-old told his Mercedes team on the radio.
He was 0.064 seconds quicker than British compatriot Hamilton having also topped two practice sessions, with track temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius in scorching conditions.
"It's been a great weekend so far, I'm always fighting. I came into this weekend with a clean slate, felt good and it is great to be on pole," Russell said.
"It will be an interesting race tomorrow, Lewis did a great job to get up there so I'm sure there will be a fight. Tomorrow will not be easy."
Italian Antonelli, 19, leads the championship by 66 points from Hamilton and 68 in front of Russell.
Antonelli quipped about Sunday: "We try to get a good start and make the best use of the tow. The slipstream will be strong."
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.
This is likely to be Alonso's last race weekend in Barcelona. The Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix used to be the Spanish GP but that will now be held on a new Madrid circuit, starting in September.
The Barcelona race will alternate with the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps from next year, with Spa earmarked for 2027.
