Charles Leclerc claims pole position thanks to Ferrari tactics on straights

Mercedes were split by Lando Norris, with Lewis Hamilton claiming fourth and George Russell holding the sixth position. Fernando Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda trailed behind, with Sainz and Kevin Magnussen not setting times in Q3 due to their penalties for tomorrow's race.

Albon spin hampers driver's chances of Q2

Heading into Q1, it was clear to note how important Sainz could be, in order to play the cards for Leclerc. With his grid penalty for the race tomorrow that will see him start from the back and a tow being of major importance, it was highlighted how the Spaniard should play a 'domestique' role for his teammate, as it would give Ferrari the best chance of victory tomorrow. 

Leclerc didn't need any help at the start of qualifying, however, as he came straight out of the pits and stormed into the lead with a lap time of 1:31.727, placing him ahead of Verstappen and Perez after their first flying laps. Sainz was held in the pits longer but was still able to find the pace needed on his first lap to place him in the top three. Magnussen is in a similar situation to the Spaniard and holds a penalty for the race tomorrow, so only went out for one lap in order to participate in today's action, this didn't stop the Dane from reaching Q2 however, as he placed his Haas in sixth with his single lap.

The Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Russell sat in eighth and ninth throughout the whole of the session and were unable to improve due to an Alex Albon spin. The only other British driver on the grid, Norris, was able to find some pace in his McLaren and pushed himself into the top five and didn't return back to the track, like the Ferrari's, due to feeling he was safe enough to make it into Q2.

Albon's spin on his final lap of the first session did hamper the progress of the drivers trailing behind due to the yellow flags and caused a tail of non-improvements until Mick Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel pushed into the top 10. However, the Haas driver's time was removed due to track limits, alongside Daniel Ricciardo as well, causing the German to be eliminated in Q1.

OUT IN Q1 - Gasly, Stroll, Zhou, Schumacher, Latifi

Mercedes leave it until final lap to find pace

As Q2 got underway, there was an array of tyres on show across the whole grid. Mercedes stuck with the same set of softs from Q1, whilst Norris switched to a brand new set of softs and it was clear to see where the new tyres were. After the first flying laps from every driver but Sainz, who stayed in the pits for longer, Red Bull held the top spots with Verstappen and Perez, with Leclerc and Norris following behind. It may have been action-all-stations early on for Mercedes however, as Hamilton and Russell were only able to best an eighth and 11th place respectively.

Sainz stole all the attention from the current World Champion, as he found himself at the top of the timing charts with a lap time of 1:31.081 and 0.909 seconds ahead of the Dutchman. The other driver with a penalty tomorrow also looked like he has the pace to fight at the top, as Magnussen found himself in sixth after his first lap, much to Guenther Steiner's happiness.

As the chequered flag was flown, improvements were seen flying in, with Russell and Hamilton moving into the top seven, Alonso splitting the Mercedes duo and Tsunoda claiming the final spot in Q3. Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon and Valtteri Bottas all found themselves in the top 10 in the dying seconds but were forced out due to the tremendous pace shown by Mercedes on their flying laps.

OUT IN Q2 - Ricciardo, Ocon, Bottas, Vettel, Albon

Tactics on show in Q3 by Ferrari

Ferrari's tow tactics were seen right from the start of Q2 but only managed to work by 0.008 seconds, as Verstappen's middle sector was much stronger than his title rivals. Perez followed behind but there was a potential small battle between the Brits behind, with Russell, Hamilton and Norris all being within 0.243 seconds of each other. Magnussen didn't leave the pits so was automatically down in 10th and Sainz was being used to help his teammate, as mentioned prior, so held the ninth place position heading into the final minutes.