Hamilton Qualifies Second, Leclerc Crashes Out in Barcelona Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton secured second on the grid for the Barcelona Grand Prix while teammate Charles Leclerc crashed in Q3 at the Catalunya Circuit.
1'14"743
What Happened
Qualifying for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix took place on June 13, 2026, under hot conditions with an air temperature of 31°C and track at 51°C. Both Ferrari drivers advanced through Q1 and Q2 using new Soft tyres, posting competitive lap times.
Leclerc set 1'15"964, Hamilton set 1'15"625; both advanced.
Leclerc set 1'15"281, Hamilton set 1'15"418; both advanced.
Leclerc crashed at turn 4, ending his session. Hamilton set 1'14"743, finishing second, 0.074s behind pole.
1'14"743seconds
Secured second place on the front row, under a tenth off pole time.
Why this matters
Ferrari's mixed qualifying result shows Hamilton's front-row pace but raises questions about Leclerc's crash, impacting team strategy for the race.
Terms in This Story
- Soft tyres
- The softest tire compound in a racing series, offering maximum grip but lower durability, typically used for qualifying.
- Q1, Q2, Q3
- Three successive qualifying sessions in Formula 1 that eliminate slower cars to determine the starting grid order.
- Red flag
- A signal that stops a session due to a dangerous condition, such as a crash, requiring the track to be cleared.
- Flying lap
- A lap in which a driver attempts to set a fast qualifying time, usually without traffic or warm-up.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.