Marc Priestley spotted something ‘really encouraging’ from Mercedes in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton delivered his best session of the season.
The Silver Arrows will lock out the second row of the grid in Sunday’s race around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Hamilton smashed his previous best qualifying of 2024 to take third ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell, with just 0.002 seconds also splitting the pair.
Another Briton will line up on pole position, too, after McLaren ace Lando Norris pipped Red Bull driver Max Verstappen by 0.020 seconds. Ferrari will lock out the third row with Charles Leclerc beating home hero Carlos Sainz. Just 0.035s also split Hamilton in P3 to Sainz in P6.
Mercedes will find beating Ferrari in qualifying for the Spanish GP ‘encouraging’
Seeing Mercedes eclipse Ferrari for the second row of the grid for the Spanish GP somewhat shocked Priestley, too. The former McLaren mechanic, who worked with Hamilton during his 2008 title-winning season, feels no one would have expected it even ‘a couple of races ago’.
Before Russell took pole position for the Canadian GP last time out, the best that Mercedes had managed in any of the first eight Grand Prix qualifying sessions was Russell’s P3 for the season-opener in Bahrain. Hamilton’s previous best qualifying was P7 in Japan and Monaco.
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Russell’s average qualifying position across the first eight rounds of 2024 was also only P6.5. While Hamilton averaged P9.5 up to the Monaco GP but his qualifying position is skewered by his P18 at the Chinese GP. So, Priestley thinks the Spanish GP will encourage Mercedes.
Priestley told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Who would have said we would have two Mercedes in front of two Ferraris a couple of races ago? This is a real change in form and really encouraging for everyone at Mercedes.”
Lewis Hamilton had only beaten George Russell in qualifying once in 2024
Hamilton and Russell taking P3 and P4 on the grid for this Sunday’s Spanish GP will certainly encourage Mercedes. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a very representative track for a lot of the calendar. It’s mixture of low, medium and high-speed corners provide an ideal test.
Having Hamilton in P3 will also certainly encourage both the Brackley outfit and the 39-year-old. Russell had dominated the seven-time drivers’ champion in qualifying this year with his 8-1 record before the Spanish GP. Hamilton only led Mercedes’ quest at April’s Japanese GP.
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