In a dramatic qualifying, Kimi Raikkonen secured pole for the first time since 2008 with Vettel securing a Ferrari front row lockout. But for Hamilton it was a disaster, after he was knocked out in Q2 when his lap was ruined by yellow flags.
Q1
Ferrari set the initial pace in Q1 but it was Verstappen who ended the session quickest. Mercedes were well off the pace, with Hamilton down in 10th for most of the session.
After a crash in FP3, Ocon’s team had a lot of work to do to get his car ready for qualifying. With 10 minutes to go, Ocon made it out but it wasn’t enough to get into Q2. He narrowly missed out on a place in the next session, displaced by Grosjean in the final seconds.
For McLaren, it was a brilliant session, with both drivers making it into Q2 for the first time this season. Neither Palmer nor Stroll had good sessions, both dropping out as their teammates made it through. Also out were the Saubers of Wehrlein and Ericsson, with the latter going out after his tyre came off the rim when he ran over a kerb.
Out in Q1:
- Ocon
- Palmer
- Stroll
- Wehrlein
- Ericsson
Q2
The top five in Q2 was the same again, both Ferraris, Red Bulls and Bottas. But Hamilton again struggled, his first run also ending in the wall, as he had a major slide in Casino Square. He found himself in the drop zone and in trouble. With one final lap to improve, he was in a risky situation as the time ticked down. He was up in sectors 1 and 2 but then disaster struck.
Vandoorne clipped the wall on the inside at swimming pool, smashing into the barrier and bringing out the yellow flags. Hamilton was forced to abort his lap and found himself out of qualifying.
Also eliminated were Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Magnussen and Massa:
- Kvyat
- Hulkenberg
- Magnussen
- Hamilton
- Massa
Q3
Raikkonen was on top form, once again setting the pace in Q3 – Vettel and Ricciardo well off the pace. Kimi then improved but Vettel and Bottas were both going quicker too. Vettel was fastest of all in the first two sectors but a small mistake in the final sector meant he missed out on pole by less than a tenth.
Bottas too was unable to misplace Raikkonen, just 2 thousandths off Vettel and a front row start. Close behind were the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Ricciardo, slightly disappointed to have not gone quicker today.
Sainz will line up in sixth ahead of Perez and Grosjean. Despite qualifying an impressive ninth for McLaren, Button will start down in 20th due to an engine change. Vandoorne finished the session 10th after crashing in the previous session.
- Raikkonen
- Vettel
- Bottas
- Verstappen
- Ricciardo
- Sainz
- Perez
- Grosjean
- Button
- Vandoorne
The Grid
Vandoorne will start 12th due to a penalty, with Button down in 20th due to a 15 place grid drop. Therefore the grid for tomorrow will line up as follows:
Raikkonen, Vettel; Bottas, Verstappen; Ricciardo, Sainz; Grosjean, Perez; Kvyat, Hulkenberg; Magnussen, Vandoorne; Hamilton, Massa; Ocon, Palmer; Stroll, Wehrlein; Ericsson, Button.