Lewis Hamilton ended a difficult start to the Barcelona Grand Prix by finishing second in the Friday qualifying session, only 0.064 seconds behind polesitter George Russell.
It marked the quickest lap Hamilton has delivered for Ferrari since joining the Scuderia at the beginning of the 2025 season. The seven‑time world champion achieved the result after a run that began with him handing the first practice session to Ferrari’s junior driver Dino Beganovic, in keeping with Formula 1’s young driver policy.
Hamilton therefore entered the second practice session in a slower car and finished ninth, almost a second off the pace. He closed the gap in final practice, ending 0.7 seconds behind the front‑row favourites, and still a full half‑second behind his teammate Charles Leclerc. In qualifying, however, a clear improvement materialised.
“I had to step away from the track during the session between P3 and qualifying,” Hamilton reflected. “I went back to my motorhome, had a quick mental reset and when I returned, I felt refreshed enough to get a good lap.”
He took pole in Q1 and maintained a competitive pace throughout, ultimately securing second place behind Russell and comfortably ahead of the championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
“It’s great to be up here after such a challenging weekend,” Hamilton added. “We usually can’t miss pole and the margin made a big difference. I was able to work out a stable balance and felt comfortable throughout the session.”
With Leclerc starting from tenth, Ferrari’s hopes of a victory depend heavily on Hamilton’s performance on Sunday. If he can hold the lead, it would be his first win since the Belgian Grand Prix in July 2024.