Piastri on pole as McLaren lock out front row in Spain
BARCELONA, May 31 (Reuters) - Formula One leader Oscar Piastri seized pole position from teammate and title rival Lando Norris by a hefty margin as dominant McLaren locked out the front row in Spanish Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen, last year's winner, qualified third fastest in the same time as Mercedes' George Russell, who will start fourth because the reigning champion finished his lap first.
Piastri had set a target time of one minute and 11.836 seconds in the top 10 shootout but Norris went 0.017 quicker thanks to an opportunistic aerodynamic tow, with McLaren still in a league of their own despite stricter front wing flex tests.
Norris, winner in Monaco from pole last Sunday to close the gap at the top to three points, managed to improve further to 1:11.755 before Piastri clinched pole with a brilliant final lap of 1:11.546 -- 0.209 seconds quicker around the Circuit de Catalunya.
The pole was the Australian's fourth in nine races so far this season.
"It wasn't the perfect lap but I think around here with the tyres going off so much through the lap it's very tough to do that," said Piastri, who said over the radio that Norris' slipstream was 'cheeky'.
"I'm very happy with all the work we've put in."
Norris said he had the pace but made a couple of small mistakes.
"Just a couple of little mistakes. Turn One, where you don't want to make a mistake because it harms the tyres for the rest of the lap. A couple of little squiggles there. And Turn Four as well," he explained.
"A good result for the team, a nice one-two and an interesting start for tomorrow," added the Briton, who started on pole last year but finished second.
Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, winner a record-equalling six times in Spain, qualified fifth for Ferrari and ahead of team mate Charles Leclerc for the second time this season.
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli was sixth fastest, with Leclerc seventh after doing only one flying lap because he had run out of tyres.
"I think we were one of the only cars to have only four new sets of softs for the whole of qualifying. All the others around us had five new softs," said the Monegasque.
"I sacrificed today, I hope it will pay off tomorrow. If it doesn't, it's my fault."
Alpine's Pierre Gasly will start eighth and Isack Hadjar ninth for Racing Bulls.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said the team had not been at all concerned by the flexi-wing saga, which rivals had hoped might slow the defending constructors' champions.
"It entertained to have this kind of debate but our simulations said everything was very small. We weren't concerned from this point of view," the Italian told Sky Sports television.
Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso, yet to score a point this season, completed the top 10 for Aston Martin in front of his home crowd.
Verstappen's team mate Yuki Tsunoda struggled again and qualified last with Alpine's Argentine rookie Franco Colapinto also on the back row after a problem pulling away from the pit lane exit at the end of the opening phase.
Sauber's Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto did well to qualify 12th.
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