Russell beats Hamilton and Antonelli in qualifying

In qualifying, Russell edged out Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari. The record-holding world champion was just 64 thousandths of a second off the top spot in the seventh race of the season. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli took third place in the second Mercedes, a good three-tenths of a second behind, followed by world champion Lando Norris in the McLaren and Max Verstappen in the Red Bull.

For Russell, it was his third pole position of the season; for Mercedes, it was their 150th in Formula 1. On Sunday (3:00 p.m.), the Briton will aim for his second Grand Prix victory of the year—following his season-opening win in Melbourne—in his 100th Grand Prix start for the Silver Arrows.

Most recently, Russell suffered two bitter setbacks in the championship battle. After retiring in Canada, he also failed to score any championship points a week ago in Monaco and dropped to third place in the championship standings. His teammate Antonelli, who is aiming for his sixth consecutive Grand Prix victory, already holds a 66-point lead over Hamilton. Russell trails by another two points.

Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc suffered another disappointment following his retirement in his home race. The Monegasque driver crashed his Ferrari into the track barrier in the decisive third segment of qualifying after a driving error, causing a lengthy interruption.