Red Bull driver Verstappen punched in a 1m12.272s on his first run in the decisive Q3 session, which was enough to secure his fourth pole of the 2023 season.
Nearest rival, Ferrari’s home hero Carlos Sainz, was a full 0.462s adrift of the flying Verstappen as the double world champion continued his recent devastating form.
Sainz professed that he’d “left nothing on the table” in his quest to become the first Spaniard to win his home race since 2013, but anticipates a tough ask to beat the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez despite his Q2 exit leading to a starting position of 11th.
Perez, who found the Turn 5 gravel on his way to missing a Q3 berth by 0.051s, was one of several high-profile names caught out by spots of drizzle that caused several incidents and a red flag in Q1 due to the volume of gravel on the circuit.
One of those to fall foul of conditions was Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who incurred floor damage with an early Q1 off that hindered his challenge for pole as the two-time Spanish GP winner could only muster ninth.
He will however be lifted to eighth on the grid by a pair of three-place grid penalties handed to Alpine's Pierre Gasly for separate impeding incidents against Verstappen and Sainz. Gasly will start 10th as a result.
Last year’s polesitter Charles Leclerc was dumped out in the first qualifying segment and baffled by the lack of performance from his Ferrari, while George Russell also missed the Q3 cut after a clash with team-mate Lewis Hamilton on the pit straight when he admitted he was “not aware” of the seven-time champion’s presence.
The major beneficiary of their woes was Lando Norris, who surged to a season’s best starting position of third for McLaren in a showing that left him “shocked”.
When is the F1 Spanish Grand Prix?
Date: Sunday 4 June 2023
Start time: 2:00pm BST, 3:00pm local time
The seventh round of the 2023 F1 season, the Spanish GP at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, gets underway at 3:00pm local time (2:00pm BST) on Sunday 4 June.
How can I watch Formula 1?
In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.
Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £24 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98p or a month membership of £34.99p per month.
How can I watch the F1 Spanish GP?
In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Spanish GP, with the race shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Pre-race coverage will start at 12:30pm BST on Sky Sports F1 and 1:55pm BST Sky Sports Main Event, ahead of the race start at 2:00pm BST.
• Channels: Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event
• Start time: 12:30pm BST on Sky Sports F1 and 1:55pm BST Sky Sports Main Event, Sunday 4 June 2023
Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Spanish GP here.
When can I watch the F1 Spanish GP highlights?
In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Spanish GP at 6:30pm BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for two hours and 30 minutes, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.
For the entire 2023 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.
Channel: Channel 4
Start time: 6:30pm BST, Sunday 4 June 2023
Will the F1 Spanish GP be on the radio?
Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2023 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and the via the BBC Sport website.
Live coverage of the Spanish GP will start at 2:00pm BST on BBC Radio 5 Live and on the BBC Sounds app.
Weather forecast for the F1 Spanish GP
Current weather forecasts predict warm and sunny conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, with a gentle breeze and a low chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be 21 degrees Celsius for the race start.
How many laps is the F1 Spanish GP?
The race is scheduled to complete 66 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, covering a total race distance of 307.236km.
F1 Spanish GP starting grid
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Max Verstappen |
Red Bull | Red Bull | 1'12.272 | |
| 2 |
 Carlos Sainz |
Ferrari | Ferrari | 1'12.734 | 0.462 |
| 3 |
 Lando Norris |
McLaren | Mercedes | 1'12.792 | 0.520 |
| 4 |
Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes | Mercedes | 1'12.818 | 0.546 |
| 5 |
 Lance Stroll |
Aston Martin | Mercedes | 1'12.994 | 0.722 |
| 6 |
 Esteban Ocon |
Alpine | Renault | 1'13.083 | 0.811 |
| 7 |
 Nico Hulkenberg |
Haas | Ferrari | 1'13.229 | 0.957 |
| 8 |
Fernando Alonso |
Aston Martin | Mercedes | 1'13.507 | 1.235 |
| 9 |
 Oscar Piastri |
McLaren | Mercedes | 1'13.682 | 1.410 |
| 10 |
Pierre Gasly |
Alpine | Renault | 1'12.816 | 0.544 |
| 11 |
 Sergio Perez |
Red Bull | Red Bull | 1'13.334 | 1.062 |
| 12 |
George Russell |
Mercedes | Mercedes | 1'13.447 | 1.175 |
| 13 |
 Zhou Guanyu |
Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 1'13.521 | 1.249 |
| 14 |
Nyck de Vries |
AlphaTauri | Red Bull | 1'14.083 | 1.811 |
| 15 |
 Yuki Tsunoda |
AlphaTauri | Red Bull | 1'14.477 | 2.205 |
| 16 |
 Valtteri Bottas |
Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 1'13.977 | 1.705 |
| 17 |
 Kevin Magnussen |
Haas | Ferrari | 1'14.042 | 1.770 |
| 18 |
 Alex Albon |
Williams | Mercedes | 1'14.063 | 1.791 |
| 19 |
 Charles Leclerc |
Ferrari | Ferrari | 1'14.079 | 1.807 |
| 20 |
 Logan Sargeant |
Williams | Mercedes | 1'14.699 | 2.427 |
| View full results | |||||
