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Lewis Hamilton first in Formula 1 qualifying, Vettel in 11th place

Dhe Saturday interplay that the Mercedes drivers deliver in the battle for pole position in the Formula 1 races on Sunday continues. In Barcelona, ​​world champion Lewis Hamilton was again faster than his Finnish team-mate Valtteri Bottas. On the Circuit de Catalunya, the 4.655 kilometer long reference track in the industry, the Englishman needed 1: 15.584 minutes for his fastest lap and the 92nd pole position of his career before the Grand Prix on Sunday (3.10 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for Formula 1, on RTL and Sky).

Bottas was 0.059 seconds off Hamilton. A small mistake two corners before the finish line cost the Finn the pole position in his last attempt when, unlike the other top drivers, he was able to improve his time again. Third was the winner of the last weekend at Silverstone, Max Verstappen (Red Bull). The Dutchman, 30 points behind Hamilton second in the World Championship standings, was 0.708 seconds slower.

“That is the maximum,” said Verstappen afterwards. “I have a subscription in third place.” Qualifying in Barcelona could have been the last in which the gap to Mercedes is so big. From the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps onwards at the end of the month, only one engine setting for qualifying and the race should be allowed.

At the moment, Mercedes in particular can call on additional performance in qualifying, so that Hamilton and Bottas are currently the only candidates for pole position. “Thank God that is over from Spa,” said Red Bull Motorsport Director Helmut Marko on Saturday in an interview with the “Sky” broadcaster. Others are more critical of the not yet finalized intervention in the rules for the current season.

At Ferrari, on the other hand, switching off the “party mode” is unlikely to raise the mood among the competition. Both Scuderia drivers were frustrated in Barcelona. For Sebastian Vettel, the qualification ended for the third time in a row after the second section. In the Ferrari SF1000, equipped with a new chassis, Vettel was missing two thousandths of a second to make it among the top ten drivers.

“The qualification was one of the better sessions this weekend,” said Vettel afterwards. “But it’s still too far from feeling good.” Team mate Charles Leclerc finished ninth and then chose words that have been heard from Vettel for weeks: “I’m not happy with the car. It got worse from session to session. “

Sports director Laurent Laurent Mekies said nothing more than empty phrases in the interview after qualifying. “It’s very disappointing. We hope that we will be faster tomorrow. It’s not just one thing that we have to improve. ”During the test drives in Barcelona in February, it became clear that the SF1000 was not suitable for the top in Formula 1. Given the limited development opportunities until the end of the coming season, there is little prospect of profound progress.

For the Spanish Grand Prix, which is held in the Corona season differently in midsummer instead of spring, Hamilton expects a heated ride. “We have never been here so quickly. Physically it will be very strenuous, you have to be careful not to ruin the tires when braking and the wind is brisk, from different directions. ”Unlike the last time at Silverstone, Verstappen does not expect the tires to become the decisive factor.

Hamilton is not entirely convinced: “I think these guys”, he pointed to Verstappen, “will get along a little better than us. But it won’t be as bad as at Silverstone. ”A week ago, Verstappen was able to defeat the Mercedes drivers in the race for the first time – mainly because the world championship team put enormous strain on the tires. “It won’t be easy here either,” said Hamilton on Saturday.

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