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George Russell won securing pole position for the Barcelona Grand Prix. Russell set a time of 1:14.679, just 0.064 seconds quicker than his former team-mate. Kimi Antonelli took third place, 0.319 seconds behind the pole-sitter.
Qualifying took place in very hot conditions, with ambient temperatures reaching 30°C. The mercury is not expected to drop tomorrow, with track temperatures forecast to exceed 50°C, turning the race into an intriguing strategic contest.
While teams focused mainly on race pace during Friday’s free practice sessions, Saturday’s hour was entirely devoted to qualifying performance. In the morning session, all drivers used the Soft C4. Only Nico Hülkenberg and Sergio Pérez opted for the Medium C3 before also switching to the red compound. Russell was fastest in FP3 with a 1:15.679, ahead of Oscar Piastri in second and Charles Leclerc completing the top three.
The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by Chris Hoy. The former track cycling professional won six Olympic gold medals and eleven world titles during his career, making him the second most decorated British athlete of all time.
DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR
“The third free practice session was used by the teams exclusively with qualifying in mind. No one focused on long runs. Instead, everyone concentrated on single-lap performance, which they would later face across the three sessions in the afternoon.
“As already evident yesterday, and confirmed today by some isolated attempts, it is not possible to improve lap time on a second run due to the high level of thermal degradation. This is mainly due to the record track temperatures. The 53°C recorded today also explain why lap times were around nine tenths slower than simulations.
“Looking ahead to tomorrow’s race, the likely strategies involve at least two pit stops. Teams may start on a Medium-Hard combination and then decide, based on track performance, whether to finish the race on the yellow or white compound.
“It is worth noting that most teams have retained two sets of C2 from yesterday, a compound that appears particularly effective on cars with greater downforce, albeit with only slightly lower degradation than the other two.
“There is also the option of starting on the Soft, followed by Medium and Hard towards the end. A three-stop strategy with three Soft stints and one Medium does not differ significantly from these approaches. However, considering traffic and the need to overtake, it is unlikely that many teams will commit to it beforehand.“
Kush Maini claimed a dominant victory in the Formula 2 Sprint race at the Barcelona circuit. Maini crossed the line more than seven seconds clear of second-placed Gabriele Minì. Nikola Tsolov completed the podium in third after taking advantage of an off-track excursion by Colton Herta on the final lap. All drivers in the top ten adopted the same strategy, completing the entire race on the hard compound.
FORMULA 3
The Formula 3 Sprint race in Barcelona was won by James Wharton. The Prema driver managed to keep Freddie Slater, who finished second, and Gerrard Xie in third behind him. The entire field used the hard compound during the Sprint. The F3 Feature Race is scheduled for tomorrow morning, Sunday.
PIRELLI IN MOTORSPORT
Founded in 1872, Pirelli is a company with deep Italian roots now recognised all over the world for its cutting-edge technology, capacity for innovation, and the quality of its products. Motorsport has always played an important part in Pirelli’s strategy, following the ‘race to road’ philosophy. The company has been engaged in motorsport for 119 years and today supplies tyres to more than 350 championships on both two and four wheels. Pirelli pays constant attention to the most efficient use of natural resources and energy, and will reach carbon neutrality by 2030.
Pirelli has been Global Tyre Partner of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship since 2011. The company also supplies championships including FIA Formula 2, FIA Formula 3, Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and GT World Challenge, alongside numerous national series.