BARCELONA, Spain – Lewis Hamilton made history on Saturday by earning the 100th pole of his Formula One career during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Hamilton narrowly bested Red Bull rival Max Verstappen to secure his sixth Spanish Grand Prix pole with a quick lap of 1:16.741. Verstappen will start second, .036 seconds off the pace set by Hamilton.
“I was behind the whole way through qualifying and making small tweaks to find pace,” said Hamilton, who has more poles than any driver in Formula One history. “I just can’t believe we’re at 100 – it’s down to the women and men back at the factory who are continuously raising the bar and never giving up. It’s a dream to work with them, what a journey. Who would have thought when we started out together at the end of 2012 that we’d be celebrating 100 poles? I feel so humbled and very grateful for all their work. It feels just like my first! I’ll always remember that one.”
Valtteri Bottas qualified third in the second Mercedes entry, followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Alpine Esteban Ocon. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr., McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso completed the top-10 in qualifying.