Lewis Hamilton hit a milestone during qualifying for the 2021 Formula One Spanish Grand Prix: he secured his 100th pole position. He remains the most successful qualifying driver ever to compete in F1, and his 100 poles will stand as the number to beat for the near future.
The first qualifying session kicked off after a slight delay. It was a bit of a messy one, with traffic holding things up at Turn 13 for several drivers setting their flying laps. It was a fairly tight field, with just over a single second separating the fastest lap from the drop zone.
At the very end of the session, Lando Norris went fastest, highlighting just how far McLaren has come in the past few years.
Eliminated After Q1
16. Yuki Tsunoda
17. Kimi Raikkonen
18. Mick Schumacher
19. Nicholas Latifi
20. Nikita Mazepin
The second session went off without a hitch, but it did highlight something interesting: Red Bull Racing’s speed with Max Verstappen. The Dutch driver is definitely going to be a force to be reckoned with this year.
Another strange facet of this session was the fact that Lewis Hamilton ended the session on tires that had already run several laps. Drivers are required to start the race on the tires they end the second qualifying session with. It’s hard to imagine this being an oversight on Mercedes’ part, but it could present an interesting strategy during tomorrow’s race.
Eliminated After Q2
11. Lance Stroll
12. Pierre Gasly
13. Sebastian Vettel
14. Antonio Giovinazzi
15. George Russell
In the final qualifying session, several drivers traded fastest lap: Norris, Carlos Sainz Jr., Esteban Ocon, and Charles Leclerc. Sergio Perez spun his Red Bull, slowing several cars in the final sector on one of his laps—but despite that, Lewis Hamilton still went fastest, securing his 100th pole position
Top 10
1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Max Verstappen
3. Valtteri Bottas
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Esteban Ocon
6. Carlos Sainz Jr.
7. Daniel Ricciardo
8. Sergio Perez
9. Lando Norris
10. Fernando Alonso