Max Verstappen dominates Barcelona, ​​Carlos Sainz takes the lead and Fernando Alonso damages the bottom of his car

Formula 1 is bracing for tough years as Max Verstappen promises to revolutionize motorsport for at least the next five years. Once again he proved it by taking pole position at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, ​​with a time of 1:12.272, half a second faster than the next competitor, without giving himself away. too much pain.

Barcelona's ranking was marked by many surprises. Many favorites made decisive errors, including Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard damaged the bottom of the Aston Martin during the first qualifying session (Q1). Although he managed to reach the third qualifying session (Q3), he will only start in ninth position on the starting grid.

Leclerc, Russell and Sergio Pérez didn't even make it to Q3

Verstappen secured pole position with a half-second lead over the next driver, without even having to go to great lengths. The Dutchman set his best time early in Q3 and didn't look to improve afterward knowing he had already secured pole position. Verstappen is destined to win the race and, if he chooses, he could even dominate them all.

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Emotion will once again be on Verstappen's side as the favourites, including his team-mate, fell short. Sergio Pérez, meanwhile, went off track towards the end of Q2 as he tried to improve, and he would eventually only start from eleventh place. If anyone was hoping for the Mexican to be a title contender, they can forget that idea.

However, Fernando Alonso also faced difficulties. The hometown hero suffered an incident early in the first quarter, causing significant damage to his Aston Martin car. Despite this, he miraculously managed to pass the Q1 and Q2 qualifying sessions. But in the crucial moment in Q3, he was only able to set the ninth fastest time, which means he will start from a long way down the grid.

George Russell and Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, are other favorites who have run into trouble. The British Mercedes driver was involved in a bizarre collision with Lewis Hamilton and was knocked out in the Q2 session. As for Leclerc, his performance was even worse. For no apparent reason, the Ferrari finished second to last on the day.

Carlos Sainz capitalized on this opportunity to take off from the first position on the grid. The Spanish driver is offered a fantastic opportunity to secure his first podium of the season, or even to stay behind Verstappen pending a possible problem at Red Bull. Indeed, the other favourite, Lewis Hamilton, finished fifth without encountering any difficulties.

The miraculous stop of Fernando Alonso on the gravel ????

Huge how he manages to control the car by counter-steering to avoid the wall  #EspañaDAZNF1  ???????? pic.twitter.com/YAXt1nXKlN

The many tragic events involving the best pilots have allowed the less famous to reach the heights. For example, Lando Norris brilliantly lifted the McLaren to third place, while Pierre Gasly confirmed the performance of the Alpine by finishing fourth. Lance Stroll, meanwhile, put in a remarkable performance as he finished sixth, beating Alonso for the first time this season.

Ranking of results Formula 1 Spanish GP 2023