Based on what happened in free practice, we were preparing for an absolutely unfinished qualifying session, at least in spirit. Because the reality suggested something completely different.
After the first attempts of Q1, Carlos Sainz topped the standings, as he did in FP3, followed by Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Behind them, the situation was similar, and it was difficult to draw any forward-looking conclusions from what was happening on track. But one thing was clear: the Alpine team was in deep trouble, and Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were the last to go. Apart from them, Logan Sargeant and the two Stakes went out. In the end, the trio of Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen finished at the front.
In Q2, the first dose of the black soup arrived, with Verstappen leading a huge lap and a huge lead, followed by Perez and Norris. There was a serious battle for second and third, but by then pole position was almost a foregone conclusion. Charles Leclerc was in the lead after the second set of shots, with Verstappen and Sainz behind him in the top 3 for Q3. The two Visa drivers, Lance Stroll, Alexander Albon and Kevin Magnussen completed the field of eliminations.
The opening of Q3 was once again Verstappen's turn, with Leclerc and Russell behind the Dutchman. The Scuderia Ferrari driver was the main challenger, "only" two tenths behind. Alonso arrived in a vacuum and scored a third-place finish in between the first and second attempts. Then came the final runs, where Verstappen improved further to take pole position. With Leclerc and Russell in second and third, we can only hope that tomorrow's race will bring more excitement.
