Cloudy. Dry. Air +22…20С, highway +40…37С
The weekend with the Saturday sprint is fleeting. The only training took place on the hot track and a few hours later the riders started to qualify for the sprint. The weather forecast promised a high chance of rain, adding to the intrigue, and at the start of qualifying the track was covered in clouds.
There was an unexpected change in Haas F1 – just like in the morning, Oliver Berman took the wheel in place of the ill Kevin Magnussen.
Red Bull fitted Sergio Perez with a car on a different chassis to remove the influence of hidden defects on his results.
During training many complained about the cars rocking, but there were no incidents. Lando Norris showed the best time, faster than last year’s pole position, but the drivers did not attack seriously for qualifying.
Pirelli brought softer compounds to the podium than a year ago: C3, C4 and C5 with the designation Hard, Medium and Soft.
In the first session the riders went to Medium, as required by the rules. Compared to the training, the asphalt temperature dropped by almost 20 degrees and the settings chosen in the morning did not work. It was important to show some time before possible rain; no one bothered to sit outside in the pits.
On the first attempt, Piastri topped the timesheets, completing a lap in 1:10.265. Colapinto’s time was removed for violation.
Many improved on the second attempt, but Norris was the fastest: 1:09.477. Alonso, Okon, Tsunoda, Stroll and Zhou dropped out of further competition.
In the second session Everyone went back to the Medium, alternating fast and slow laps. On his first attempt, Norris completed the lap in 1:09.063, four tenths ahead of his nearest competitor.
Five drivers abandoned the second attempt, including the leaders – Norris, Verstappen and Sainz. Perez had no time for a fast lap. Norris’s result stood. Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Perez, Colapinto and Bottas did not qualify for the final.
In the final The wind increased and the temperature continued to drop, but the track remained dry. The riders rode Soft.
On the first attempt, Norris topped the time list with 1:08.928. Berman’s circle was annulled. In the final seconds of the session, Oscar Piastri overtook Norris to win the sprint qualification for the second time in his career.
In Saturday’s sprint, McLaren teammates Piastri and Norris will start from the front row, and Leclerc and Verstappen from the second row. From third – Sainz and Russell.
Sprint qualification results
| Pilot | Team | 1 session | Session 2 | Session 3 | ||||||
| M | Time | Kr | M | Time | Kr | M | Time | Kr | ||
| 1. O. Piastri | McLaren | 2 | 1:10,265 | 4 | 2 | 1:09.239 | 6 | 1 | 1:08,899 | 6 |
| 2. L.Norris | McLaren | 1 | 1:09,477 | 6 | 1 | 1:09,063 | 3 | 2 | 1:08,928 | 5 |
| 3. S. Leclerc | Ferrari | 4 | 1:10,388 | 9 | 3 | 1:09.248 | 6 | 3 | 1:09.153 | 3 |
| 4. M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 6 | 1:10,409 | 6 | 4 | 1:09,489 | 3 | 4 | 1:09.219 | 3 |
| 5. K. Sainz | Ferrari | 11 | 1:10,503 | 9 | 5 | 1:09,500 | 3 | 5 | 1:09.257 | 3 |
| 6. D. Russell | Mercedes | 10 | 1:10,479 | 6 | 8 | 1:09.683 | 6 | 6 | 1:09.443 | 3 |
| 7. P. Gasly | Alps | 14 | 1:10,630 | 6 | 6 | 1:09,610 | 6 | 7 | 1:09.622 | 3 |
| 8. L. Lawson | RB | 12 | 1:10,576 | 5 | 9 | 1:09.827 | 3 | 8 | 1:09,941 | 3 |
| 9. A. Albon | Williams | 3 | 1:10,366 | 6 | 10 | 1:09,844 | 3 | 9 | 1:10.078 | 3 |
| 10. O. Berman | Hare | 7 | 1:10,442 | 6 | 7 | 1:09.629 | 3 | 10 | – | 3 |
| 11. L.Hamilton | Mercedes | 13 | 1:10,625 | 6 | 11 | 1:09,941 | 7 | |||
| 12. N. Hulkenberg | Hare | 8 | 1:10,466 | 5 | 12 | 1:09,964 | 3 | |||
| 13. C. Perez | Red Bull | 5 | 1:10,392 | 6 | 13 | 1:10,024 | 4 | |||
| 14. F. Colapinto | Williams | 9 | 1:10,470 | 6 | 14 | 1:10.275 | 3 | |||
| 15. V. Bottas | Sauber | 15 | 1:10,861 | 6 | 15 | 1:10,595 | 6 | |||
| 16. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | 16 | 1:10,978 | 6 | ||||||
| 17. E.Okon | Alps | 17 | 1:11,052 | 6 | ||||||
| 18. Yu.Tsunoda | RB | 18 | 1:11.121 | 6 | ||||||
| 19. L. Walk | Aston Martin | 19 | 1:11,280 | 6 | ||||||
| 20. G.Zhou | Sauber | 20 | 1:12,978 | 5 | ||||||
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
