2023-06-03 22:49:27
This final round of Spanish GP practice saw rain fall midway through the session, giving the drivers a chance to fit some intermediate tyres. This was a proverbial problem, as the drivers were testing their car’s limits before qualifying.
And it didn’t really offer anything in return, as the chances of rain during the race diminished as the weekend progressed. It is true that, in the small chance of a light rain hitting the track, Fernando Alonso seems to be the best prepared for it. The Spaniard bested Max Verstappen’s time on the intermediate tire by around a tenth of a second.
Who can win the Spanish GP?
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Now onto the important part, the qualifying session, which didn’t start well as a red flag was quickly raised. However, it was nothing too serious, with the FIA just being cautious about the gravel thrown onto the track after Valtteri Bottas and Alexander Albon lost control of their cars and went off the track.
The session restarted only to quickly suffer another break as six more riders went off track, including Fernando Alonso. As unusual as it is to see so many mistakes made by Formula 1 drivers, even in the rain, the first training session has yet to reveal its biggest surprises.
A few more unexpected events occurred, the main one being Nico Hulkenberg taking provisional pole in Q1. Also, Lance Stroll, motivated by recent failures, gave his all to take third. The final perplexity offered by this session came courtesy of Charles Leclerc, who was knocked out, only managing a lowly 19th place, a completely unacceptable result driving a Ferrari.
It’s true that other top drivers haven’t fared so well either, with Verstappen in P9, followed by Alonso in P12 and a lucky Sergio Perez, who just made it into Q2 in P15. And that was also where it ended for the Mexican, who crashed into the gravel with just a few minutes left in Q2 and did not recover, finishing 11th and out of the standings. George Russell was the last driver from a top team to be eliminated before the final session, having to settle for P12.
How is the ranking?
With some of the fiercest competitors out of contention, Q3 proved to be just as surprising as the previous session. Lando Norris managed to push his McLaren into third place, just behind Carlos Sainz, who made a remarkable effort in front of his home crowd. However, the other Spanish rider, Fernando Alonso, had a dismal Saturday, finishing 9th, something that will certainly make maintaining his podium streak a daunting challenge.
The session was, of course, led by Max Verstappen, who is slowly closing the door on Checo’s title hopes. The Dutchman’s pole time was a jaw-dropping 1:12:272, almost half a second quicker than Sainz. Pierre Gasly, who had a fantastic session, will complete the second row alongside Lando. Next up is Lewis Hamilton, followed by Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso, with Oscar Piastri rounding out the top 10.
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