Ferrari Pinpoints Lewis Hamilton's Mistake That Cost Him Pole in Spain

Pulse Sports Team 07:56 - 13 September 2026

Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur believes a mistake by Lewis Hamilton in the first sector during the final moments of qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix was key to the Briton losing out on pole position.

Hamilton held provisional pole after the first runs in Q3 in Madrid, ahead of Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Max Verstappen, and Lando Norris.

On his second attempt, however, Hamilton only managed to improve his time by less than a tenth of a second, opening the door for the drivers behind him to deny him his first pole position since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix – 73 races ago. First, Antonelli displaced Hamilton from the top spot, and then Norris stunned the Italian, beating him by just 0.011 seconds to claim his 19th career pole position.

Hamilton was subsequently pushed down to fourth after Verstappen crossed the finish line to take third. This meant the Briton failed to qualify in the top three for the first time since his home race at Silverstone. In his analysis, Vasseur pointed to Hamilton's weak first sector on his second flying lap as the moment qualifying slipped away from the 104-time pole-sitter.

"When you're first after the initial run in Q3, you're definitely aiming for pole position," Vasseur began. "I think Lewis made a small mistake at the start of his final flying lap and lost about a tenth and a half in the first sector. Charles (Leclerc) put in a good lap and improved significantly in Turns 5 and 6, but with such small gaps between the cars, it wasn't enough for better than fifth place. Now, let's focus on the race. The long-run data from Friday might not be entirely representative, as no one was focusing on that, and the track was still evolving very quickly. From the Formula 2 and Formula 3 races, it's clear that overtaking is extremely difficult on this circuit, but we also know the race can be chaotic, so we must be ready to seize any opportunity, whether it comes from a Virtual Safety Car, a Safety Car, or even a red flag," added the Prancing Horse's team boss.