George Russell bounces back in style to claim pole at Barcelona-Catalunya F1 GP

‘I’m just glad to feel myself again … at one with the car’

Lewis Hamilton second ahead of Kimi Antonelli

Is George Russell’s run of rotten luck finally over? The Mercedes driver said he felt “like my old self again” after scorching to pole position for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. He was fractionally faster than second-placed Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, who nearly snatched top spot with a dramatic surge at the last, capitalising on what is clearly a significant upgrade to the Scuderia machine.

Kimi Antonelli, Russell’s 19-year-old teammate, will aim for a sixth consecutive victory from third on the grid while Charles Leclerc of Ferrari said there were “no excuses” and that he felt “very ashamed” after crashing out spectacularly in Q3 and causing a red flag – a week after hitting a wall at his home race in Monaco.