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FACTS AND STATS: Consecutive poles for Leclerc as Ferrari start P1 in Spain for first time since 2008
Qualifying in Spain proved to be nerve-wracking until the very end, with Charles Leclerc leaving it late to grab a sensational pole for Ferrari after spinning on his first run in Q3.
Max Verstappen was denied the chance to see if he could beat his rival thanks to a malfunctioning DRS, while there was jubilation for Haas who saw both drivers through to Q3 – albeit only just, with Lando Norris losing his lap time to promote Mick Schumacher to the top 10. Here are some of the best facts and stats from a thrilling qualifying in Barcelona…
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Charles Leclerc takes pole in Barcelona, the first driver to take consecutive poles in 2022.
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His pole is also the first for Ferrari at this track since 2008 (Kimi Raikkonen).
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All of Leclerc’s career wins have come from pole position.
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Max Verstappen starts second; he also started on the front row here in 2021 and took the lead at Turn 1.
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Leclerc and Verstappen share the front row for the fourth time in six race weekends this season.
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Carlos Sainz qualified third – the third time he’s started P3 this year and his highest ever start in Spain.
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Mercedes’ run of nine consecutive pole positions at this track ends, and it is the first time there is no Mercedes car on the front row here since 2012.
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Sergio Perez starts fifth, the first time he starts outside the top four in 2022.
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Lewis Hamilton’s sixth is the first time he’s been out-qualified by George Russell this season when they’ve both made Q3.
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This is Hamilton’s lowest qualifying position here since 2009, when he was 14th – he did start lower in 2012, but that was after a disqualification from pole.
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Valtteri Bottas is seventh, Alfa Romeo’s first top 10 start here since Perez was fifth for Sauber here back in 2012.
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Kevin Magnussen was eighth, the third time in his last four visits to Spain that he has been in the top eight on the grid.
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Daniel Ricciardo out-qualifies Lando Norris for the first time in 10 races, with only his third Q3 appearance of the year.
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Mick Schumacher made Q3 for the first time in his career, but matches his best grid slot after starting P10 in Imola after the Sprint.
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This was the first time Haas have had two cars in Q3 since Brazil 2019.
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Sebastian Vettel suffered his first ever Q1 elimination at this track.
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It is the second time this season that both Aston Martins drop out in Q1.
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For Fernando Alonso, it was his first Q1 elimination at this track since this qualifying format was adopted – he did start P18 for Minardi back in 2001 under the old format.