Russell Takes Barcelona Pole as F1 Race Today Starts Sunday — F1 Race Today
George Russell put Mercedes on pole for f1 race today at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, and the race is set for 66 laps at 14:00 BST on Sunday. Lewis Hamilton sits alongside him on the front row after missing pole by 0.064 seconds, while Kimi Antonelli starts third.
Russell Beats Hamilton
Russell’s lap was enough to edge Hamilton by 0.064 seconds in qualifying, giving him the prime grid slot for round seven of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign. Hamilton has already climbed above Russell in the standings, and Antonelli leads the drivers’ championship by 66 points from Hamilton.
That puts the opening stretch of the weekend in Spain under pressure for the front-runners. Hamilton arrived after winning his fifth consecutive race last weekend in Monaco, while Russell had been looking to bounce back after losing ground to his team-mate Antonelli in the championship.
Leclerc’s Turn Four Error
Charles Leclerc’s session ended in frustration after he oversteered into the barrier at Turn Four and qualified 10th. The red flag interruption helped shape the rest of the qualifying order, and Antonelli still took third despite the delay.
The grid matters because the 66-lap race is only one part of a packed June weekend that runs from 12-14 June. The event in Barcelona is no longer called the Spanish Grand Prix, with that name now moving to Madrid from 11-13 September at the Madring, a new 22-corner track that uses both public roads and private land.
Barcelona Weather And Timing
Sunday’s start time is fixed at 14:00 BST, and the forecast points to a hot, dry and sunny race with a top temperature of 28C. That gives the front row a clear setup for the opening phase, with Russell and Hamilton starting ahead of Antonelli and Leclerc.
For readers following the weekend in Spain, the key details are simple: Russell has pole, Hamilton starts second, and the race begins on Sunday afternoon over 66 laps. Barcelona handles the first of two Formula 1 races in Spain this season, and the shift to Madrid later in the year changes where the Spanish Grand Prix is staged from 11-13 September.
