Formula One leader Valtteri Bottas has put his Mercedes on pole position by a massive margin for the Spanish Grand Prix with teammate Lewis Hamilton having to settle for second in a front row lockout. The pole was a third in a row for the re-energised Finn, who leads Hamilton by a single point after four of the 21 races, and he did it in a track record time of one minute 15.406 seconds on Saturday. That was a hefty 0.634 quicker than Hamilton's best effort, dashing the five-times world champion's hopes of record-extending 85th career pole. Sebastian Vettel qualified in third place, in 1:16.272, with Red Bull's 2016 Spanish Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen fourth and sandwiched between the Ferraris, with Charles Leclerc fifth. Bottas said: "I really enjoyed that. I feel better and better in the car and I am looking forward to tomorrow." Australia's Daniel Ricciardo will start 10th on the grid after posting a time of 1:18:106 having just scraped through into second qualifying in 15th place earlier. A three-place grid penalty - incurred at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix - will apply to the 29-year-old Renault driver for Sunday's race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. "We did a pretty good job to get into Q3 today. That was the target and I certainly felt after yesterday we had the potential to achieve that," Ricciardo said. "We probably could have been slightly higher in the order for Q3 but I lost the rear out of Turn 13 on the second run and lost some time. That stopped it from being a really good session, but, in any case, it was a strong effort today. "We have the penalty to add, but we'll get our heads down in the race and look for points." Hamilton said his laps in the final phase of qualifying could have been better, with a scrappy first effort kicking up gravel, but the upgrades brought by Mercedes to the start of the traditional European part of the campaign were working well. The Briton, winner for the past two seasons in Barcelona and three times in all, said Bottas had simply been quicker on the day. "Valtteri did a fantastic job, he's been quick all weekend," said Hamilton. "On my side, I just didn't put the lap together... ultimately it just wasn't a good enough job. "It's great for the team to have this one-two so we'll try and convert that into a one-two (on Sunday) and if I can reverse it I'll be happy." Mercedes have won the first four races one-two, a record start for any team, despite Ferrari setting the pace in pre-season testing. "I think we got everything out of the car in the first run," said Vettel. "In the second run I had to try something different and it didn't work. "The car doesn't feel bad but obviously we are not quick enough. In terms of balance we got it more or less right," added the German, who said Ferrari were still down on grip through the slower corners.<doc-sep>Bottas had the edge on Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton throughout qualifying, ending up a massive 0.634s quicker. None of the top four were able to improve their times on their second runs on soft Pirellis in Q3, ensuring Mercedes kept hold of the front-row lockout it had taken earlier in the final segment of qualifying. Sebastian Vettel was third and 0.866s off the pace, less than a tenth quicker than fourth-best Max Verstappen's Red Bull. Charles Leclerc only had one run in Q3 thanks to having to use two sets of soft Pirellis in Q2 after compromising his first run by running wide at Campsa – also picking up some minor floor damage. He put in two attempts on his one set of tyres, but ended up third and over two tenths slower than Verstappen – but ahead of the second Red Bull of Pierre Gasly. Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen made good on the promise the upgraded Haas showed in practice by taking seventh and eighth place, with Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat ninth. Daniel Ricciardo was slowest of those in Q3 in 10th, although he must serve a three-place grid penalty for reversing into Kvyat in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix two weeks ago. Lando Norris was the best of those who didn't reach Q3 in 11th place after being bumped down a position by Leclerc's late improvement in Q2. Toro Rosso driver Alex Albon, like his teammate, only had one run on fresh softs in Q2 and ended up 12th after running wide at Turn 5. Carlos Sainz made an error on what should have been his quickest lap and ended up 13th ahead of the lead Alfa Romeo of Kimi Raikkonen and Racing Point's Sergio Perez. Nico Hulkenberg was the fastest of those eliminated in Q1 in 16th place, 19 thousandths slower than teammate Ricciardo. Hulkenberg crashed at the Turn 4 right hander on his first run before he set a time, but was able to recover to the pits despite crunching his front wing. He returned to the track in the closing stages and briefly lifted himself out of the drop zone with his first flying lap on the second set of options – although his pace was hindered by having switched to an older-spec front wing. But Raikkonen then improved to push him down to 16th, with Hulkenberg finding two-tenths on his second flier but not quite enough to escape. Racing Point's Lance Stroll was eliminated for the fifth time in five 2019 races in 17th place, two tenths faster than 18th quickest Antonio Giovinazzi's Alfa Romeo. George Russell won the intra-Williams battle for 19th place despite a spin at the chicane on his first run, outpacing Robert Kubica by 1.2s after the Pole failed to improve on his second run.<doc-sep>Little time has been wasted in the early part of the 2019 Formula 1 season in boiling the battle for the drivers’ championship down to the two Mercedes drivers. But if the opening four races are anything to go by, that fight should go into the very embers of the campaign. Valtteri Bottas sent another warning shot the way of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday, delivering one of the best one-lap performances of his F1 career to grab an emphatic pole position. Being the teammate of the greatest qualifier in F1 history (statistically speaking, at the very least) brings its own pressure, but just in everything that Bottas has done at the start of this season, he has taken it all in his stride. While Bottas may have topped both practice sessions on Friday, the momentum swung Hamilton’s way in FP3 as he led the way, half a second clear of the field. Bottas had lost some track time after spinning off at Turn 5 and beaching his car, triggering a red flag, leaving the Finn on the back foot heading into qualifying. But Bottas bounced back, showing the new-found resilience he has added to his armoury in 2019 as he took the fight to Hamilton right away in qualifying. He was three-tenths up in Q1, and then became the first man to dip into the 1m15s range in Q2, pipping Hamilton’s lap by one-tenth of a second. And then came Q3. Hamilton’s first effort was a scruffy one, compromised by being unable to charge up the battery properly, meaning he could only must a 1m16.040s – 0.002s slower than he went in Q2. Bottas, meanwhile, got everything hooked up to put in a 1m15.406s – a six-tenth gap over a teammate renowned for his qualifying prowess and ability over a single lap. A drop in the track temperature combined with a bit of dirt on the circuit meant drivers struggled to improve on their second efforts, with Hamilton being told to ease off, leaving him two-tenths down on his best. Bottas was half a second down on his best time – but even that would still have got him pole. That’s how far ahead Bottas was in qualifying today: any of his three best laps would have been good enough for pole position. SPANISH GP QUALIFYING – BEST LAP TIMES 1. Valtteri Bottas 1m15.406s (Q3) 2. Valtteri Bottas 1m15.924s (Q2) 3. Valtteri Bottas 1m15.958s (Q3) 4. Lewis Hamilton 1m16.038s (Q2) 5. Lewis Hamilton 1m16.040s (Q3) 6. Sebastian Vettel 1m16.272s (Q3) Today was Bottas’ third straight pole position, underlining how qualifying has become one of his biggest strengths and assets so far this year – something he recognised himself after the session. “For sure in terms of qualifying performance, it has been so far my best start of the year in Formula 1 – but it’s not only about Saturdays,” Bottas said. “It’s super-important and, depending on the track, but also the race performance and start performance. I think it’s going to be key – one of the key things for sure.” On qualifying in Spain today, Bottas said: “It was really enjoyable and to get a nice lap like that is a nice feeling and a nice adrenaline rush. “What makes it enjoyable is when the car is behaving, when the car is doing what you want it to do and what you ask it to do. I think as a team we have done an incredible job with the upgrades we brought here and with the set-up direction we’ve taken. “I was really building up to the qualifying after a difficult FP3 with the spin and each run I always knew ‘OK, here I can improve’, and I managed to put it together for Q3.” The middle seat in the post-qualifying press conference may have become familiar territory for Bottas this year, but so has the seat to his right – reserved for the man in P2 - for Lewis Hamilton. For the third race in a row, Hamilton had trailed Bottas in qualifying – a scenario that had not previously happened during their time together at Mercedes. “Valtteri did a fantastic job particularly once he got to Q3,” Hamilton said after the session. “It was a bit of a tacky Q3 for me, which is kind of rare for me, but it happens. “They just weren’t very good laps, simple as that. Valtteri was just quicker today and rightly deserved the pole.” Hamilton – the record-holder for pole positions in F1, remember - was asked after the session if he needed to consider a possible change to his Q3 approach given his run of defeats to Bottas. “I don’t think it’s about Q3, I think it’s about the whole weekend and it’s the feeling that I have in the car,” Hamilton said. “I just need to work on it so I don’t think it’s really about my approach in qualifying particularly. “But of course I’m looking at all solutions, and I’ll get there eventually.” The more of these edges that Bottas is able to get over Hamilton, though, the more the pressure will grow in the title race. Qualifying has traditionally been Hamilton’s territory, so to have suffered three straight defeats like this – and, particularly here in Spain, but such a massive margin – is food for thought. Points may be awarded on Sunday, but even the Saturday results can play a big role in building or losing momentum through a title fight. The other big takeaway from qualifying was Ferrari’s failure to put up any kind of real fight to Mercedes in the fight for pole. At the track where the SF90 had looked so potent through pre-season testing, it was left lacking through the corners and particularly in the final sector, where Ferrari even trailed Red Bull. Sebastian Vettel showed few signs of disappointment in the post-qualifying press conference, instead remaining rather matter-of-fact about the situation. “It seems to be more than an Achilles’ heel at the moment,” Vettel said of Ferrari’s Sector 3 pace.<doc-sep>Valtteri Bottas strengthened his claims as a serious F1 title contender by taking a resounding pole position ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton for the Spanish GP. The Finn's third pole position in a row was his most impressive yet with his advantage over world champion Hamilton a full six tenths of a second. "Big statement from Bottas after his error in practice three and a stunning lap time," said Sky F1's Martin Brundle of the world championship leader. "That must be one of Bottas' best-ever laps. He's in a whole different bracket there to his team-mate." Mercedes' advantage at the Circuit de Catalunya this weekend is such that, although Hamilton trailed his team-mate by an unusually large margin, he still starts second on the front row ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. "Ultimately it just wasn't a good enough job," admitted Hamilton. 1:24 Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton reflects on his qualifying session after failing to improve after a messy first flying lap in Q3. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton reflects on his qualifying session after failing to improve after a messy first flying lap in Q3. Ferrari's latest round of upgrades have not delivered a breakthrough in performance with third-fastest Vettel 0.8s off the pace and Charles Leclerc falling behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen in fourth and fifth respectively. Pierre Gasly was sixth in the second Red Bull, ahead of the impressive Haas pair of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. Daniel Ricciardo made the top 10 for Renault, but team-mate Nico Hulkenberg dropped out in Q1 after hitting the barriers early in the session. Ricciardo, however, will start 13th owing to a three-place grid penalty from Baku for reversing into Daniil Kvyat, who qualified ninth here. McLaren had appeared likely Q3 finishers but Lando Norris (11th) and Carlos Sainz (13th) just missed out, with the latter running wide at the chicane on his final lap. 1:39 Nico Hulkenberg hit the barriers early in Q1 - and then fell at the first hurdle in qualifying Nico Hulkenberg hit the barriers early in Q1 - and then fell at the first hurdle in qualifying Spanish GP Qualifying: Top 10 1. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 3. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 4. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 5. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari 6. Pierre Gasly, Red Bull 7. Romain Grosjean, Haas 8. Kevin Magnussen, Haas 9. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso 10. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Bottas makes the difference amid Merc domination Bottas had set the Friday pace but had appeared in danger of losing momentum when he spun and beached his Mercedes in Saturday morning's final practice session. However, in keeping with his consistent and impressive form since the start of the season, the Finn immediately regained momentum and had already outpaced Hamilton by a tenth in Q2 before upping the ante in the decisive pole shootout. "I really enjoyed it," a beaming Bottas told Sky F1's Jenson Button. "I enjoy the adrenaline rush you get from those laps. Practice Three was difficult with the spin but I forgot about that and moved on." 2:40 Sky F1's Anthony Davidson compares Valtteri Bottas' and Sebastian Vettel’s qualifying laps from Spain Sky F1's Anthony Davidson compares Valtteri Bottas' and Sebastian Vettel’s qualifying laps from Spain Hamilton, meanwhile, had to stomach not only his third qualifying defeat in a row to Bottas, but the largest gap between first and second on the grid since Spa last August. A battery that wasn't full charged and traffic at the start of Q3 hindered him, but the world champion offered no excuses. "Valtteri did a fantastic job, he's been quick all weekend," Hamilton said. "On my side I didn't put the lap together. The last laps, in Q3 particularly, just weren't strong. Ultimately it just wasn't a good enough job. "It's great for the team to have this one-two so we'll try and convert that, but if I can reverse it I'll be happy." What happened to Ferrari? There was more Saturday night soul-searching for Ferrari as hopes that their upgraded car and engine would move them closer to runaway championship runners Mercedes gave way to a Q3 deficit of eight tenths of a second. With the SF90 consistently losing pace in Barcelona's twisty final sector, Vettel conceded: "It seems to be more than an Achilles' heel at the moment. They were both very happy with the car, the last sector for us was a bit more tricky. I think we got everything out of the car. I'm happy, but not happy. "The car doesn't feel bad but obviously we are not quick enough." 0:50 Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc reflects on a disappointing qualifying session after finishing fifth. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc reflects on a disappointing qualifying session after finishing fifth. Leclerc was even more frustrated after losing out on a place on the second row to Verstappen, with the Ferrari youngster again not hooking up his best laps when it mattered in Q3. Leclerc completed only one run in the final phase after needing a second attempt to make the top 10 in Q2. When's the race? The Spanish GP starts at 2.10pm on Sunday, live on Sky F1. Build-up coverage begins at 12.30pm and will be available through Race Control on the Sky Sports App as well as on Sky Go and the Sky F1 channel. Spanish GP Qualifying Timesheet Driver Team Time 1) Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1.15.406 2) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.634 3) Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +0.866 4) Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.951 5) Charles Leclerc Ferrari +1.182 6) Pierre Gasly Red Bull +1.302 7) Romain Grosjean Haas +1.505 8) Kevin Magnussen Haas +1.516 9) Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso +2.167 10) Daniel Ricciardo* Renault +2.700 Out in Q2 11) Lando Norris McLaren 1:17.338 12) Alexander Albon Toro Rosso 1:17.445 13) Carlos Sainz McLaren 1:17.599 14) Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 1:17.788 15) Sergio Perez Racing Point 1:17.886 Out in Q1 18) Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:18.404 16) Lance Stroll Racing Point 1:18.471 8) Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 1:18.664 19) George Russell Williams 1:19.072 20) Robert Kubica Williams 1:20.254 *3-place grid drop Watch the Spanish GP live only on Sky Sports F1 this weekend.<doc-sep>
Valtteri Bottas emphatically laid waste the optimism Ferrari had brought to the Spanish Grand Prix with a pole position that left the Scuderia floundering in his wake. The Finnish driver’s commanding performance also meant his Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who was second, had questions to answer of his own and the defending champion admitted he had to improve if he is to face the challenge Bottas is mounting for the world title. After a lacklustre 2018, with which he was very disappointed, the Finn is a driver seemingly reborn this season. He leads Hamilton by one point in the championship and this is his third pole in a row. With a time of 1min 15.406sec, he was six-tenths clear of Hamilton and eight-tenths in front of Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari in third. Asked about his preparation leading up to the weekend, he revealed he had followed Finnish folklore and spent time in the forests of his homeland. “I think there has been research about it that it’s good for your brain,” he said. “Last week I spent a lot of time in the woods. It might sound crazy but it seems to work.” Indeed communing with nature is paying off as never before. Bottas’s ninth career pole position is his first in Spain and further reinforces the immensely strong start he has made. He has outscored Hamilton over the single lap now by three to one and, of the two in qualifying, appears the more comfortable with the car. Lewis Hamilton had to settle for second as Mercedes secured a front-row lockout of the grid. Photograph: Albert Gea/Reuters The pair have two wins apiece and have secured four consecutive one-two finishes for Mercedes. A fifth seems highly likely. “We have been doing a good job as a team with the direction we’ve been taking the car in,” Bottas said. “In terms of where to find the performance and how and so on, so we’ve done a really good job.” Ferrari, however, are reeling. Hamilton’s deficit to his teammate was down to an untidy lap on the final runs and he would have expected to be much closer. The Scuderia’s concerns cannot be so easily assuaged. Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari was in fifth behind the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. Ferrari had brought an engine upgrade earlier than planned to this race plus aerodynamic improvements. A major step forward was hoped for but Mercedes brought their own raft of aero upgrades and have further increased their advantage. Vettel trails Bottas by 35 points, and Ferrari are 74 behind Mercedes. The Scuderia have proved strong on straightline speed but their car’s failing was exposed again at the Circuit de Catalunya. The Mercedes is superb on turn-in through the slower corners where Ferrari are losing chunks of time. The twisty final sector in Barcelona proved to be costing them dearly. Worse still, those upgrades do not appear to have delivered any major improvements in the areas that they desperately need them. Asked if he was surprised by the gap, Vettel replied: “Yes, of course. Coming here we did not expect it but we seemed to lose quite a big amount of time in the last sector. Definitely there is some homework to do. We know this track very well but today we were just not able to match them. “We lose time in the corners, in that last sector pretty much every corner. The car didn’t feel perfect, so that’s something we can improve, but we cannot carry as much speed through the corner as them.” Hamilton in turn was disappointed. He expected more and would have anticipated being far closer to his teammate. He has been given stern warning that Bottas is increasingly looking like his main rival this season and that the Finn is showing no sign of quietly succumbing to the five-time world champion. The difference between the two was a scruffy lap by Hamilton when the track conditions were best on their penultimate runs. The British driver failed to find the precision required through the corners of the final sector. “I think it’s about the whole weekend and it’s the feel that I have in the car,” he said. “I just need to work on it so I don’t think it’s really about my approach in qualifying particularly.