Charles Leclerc was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217
Max Verstappen was second and the title rival was the driver of the car.
The world champion was the fastest on the first two laps but lost power on his final lap and was unable to match Leclerc's pace.
George Russell was fourth for Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton was sixth fastest. Carlos Sainz was third in the race.
Russell was 0.643 seconds off the pole position after the team was moved forwards and aerodynamic bouncing was reduced.
Mercedes looked more competitive through the weekend than at any race so far this season, but in the end they were not in the fight at the very front, even if they can be pleased to have beaten one car from the top two teams.
Leclerc was the only one who was able to catch up to the drivers and Verstappen, who were out of reach.
When he spun entering the final chicane on his first run in the top 10 shootout, he made life much more difficult for himself than it needed to be, as his first lap already looked set to put him at the top of the times.
His final lap was remarkable if he felt any pressure at all.
Leclerc, who leads Verstappen by 19 points in the championship, said he felt good after a difficult session in which he made a mistake in the first run and only had one lap.
It went well. I made it stick but had a brief moment. It was a very good lap and the car was amazing, so very, very happy.
Verstappen said he didn't know if he would have been able to beat Leclerc if his overtaking aid hadn't malfunctioned.
He admitted that Red Bull had struggled to find a balance in the car this weekend, and that he would have liked to have gone for that final lap on the front row.
As has been the case for much of the season, the top two were in a league of their own, with Sainz adrift of his team-mate in third place.
The team made a genuine step forward with the floor upgrades introduced this weekend, according to both Mercedes drivers.
Russell said that it was the first time all season that they were at the top of the timesheets.
We qualified P4 and it was a good result. The lap time is far away from Charles, but the tyres didn't feel in a great window. The lap was fine, nothing special, and that gives me hope.
Hamilton said that he was a little disappointed with his position in the context of Mercedes improvement and believed he had lost out because others had gone slower than allowed.
Hamilton said that they have definitely moved forward.
There is a rule that we have to stick to. If you do a really slow out lap with these tires, you can save a lot of temperature and you can gain a lot of time.
Perez was eight seconds slower than the time you are supposed to allow and that gives him an advantage in the lap.
I stuck to the Delta and I wasn't able to do better. The car is performing better.
George was slower on the out lap so he probably got a bit of an advantage, but we have done a good job to be where we are. I am in the same position as always and that is frustrating.
In the end, Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas won the fight to be the best of the rest, edging the Haas of Kevin Magnussen by just 0.074 seconds to take seventh place.
Lando would have been in with a chance of taking that spot, but he qualified 11th.
He had his fastest lap deleted because he exceeded track limits at Turn 12.
It was a disappointing day for the team and Fernando Alonso.
The upgrade on the car is controversial. It is similar to the Red Bull car that they have accused them of copying.
Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll were knocked out in the first session and ended up 16th and 18th, even though they had hopes of making it into the top 10.
Alonso had the pace in his Alpine to make it into the second part of qualifying but he went out late for his final run in the first session and became tangled in traffic towards the end of his build-up lap, forcing him to abandon his final attempt.
Alonso fell back to 17th as others improved.
Alonso said there was a misunderstanding between him and the team.
I could do my own lap if I knew that in advance. It will be more difficult in Barcelona when you start at the back.
We lost a bit of pace. I think P12/P13 was our real position today.
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