Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen determined to overtake Lando ...

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are optimistic about clinching a victory from Lando Norris in the Spanish Grand Prix.

The duo, who have collectively won the last eight Spanish Grands Prix (three for Verstappen and five for Hamilton), will start in second and third positions on the grid in Barcelona.

Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, out-qualified his teammate George Russell for only the second time this season, with the Mercedes drivers securing third and fourth positions. This achievement highlights Mercedes' resurgence as a frontrunner, thanks to a series of car developments.

“I’m really happy, thank you everyone. I’m super happy to be here in the top three," Hamilton stated. "It’s been a difficult year, and a huge amount of work from everyone back at the factory is finally paying off as we are getting closer to the leaders."

“I didn’t expect us to be fighting for pole necessarily, but there were moments where I thought we might be close. So to be here, I’m just grateful.”

Meanwhile, McLaren's Lando Norris celebrated his pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack on Saturday, June 22, 2024. The race will take place on Sunday.

Hamilton added about his team’s progress: “We’ve made huge strides forward thanks to every individual back at the factory who is designing and producing the new parts we bring to these races. The car is gradually becoming a competitive racing machine that can challenge the leaders."

“George did a great job today, so hopefully tomorrow we can put pressure on the two cars ahead.”

Verstappen will start on the front row, though in second place after being narrowly beaten by Norris for his second career pole. The Dutchman seemed unbeatable when he improved his own fastest time by over 0.2 seconds on his final run, only for Norris to surpass him by 0.02 seconds.

Despite this, Verstappen remains confident about securing his seventh win of the season and extending his lead over Leclerc in the driver’s championship.

"I think in qualifying it was all coming together better," Verstappen remarked. "We have been trying to find the balance because the practice sessions were challenging."

"I was quite happy in qualifying. I even got a nice tow from Checo to Turn One to maximize our performance. But unfortunately, it was just not enough. That's how it goes sometimes. Overall, we can be very pleased with this performance in qualifying and we have everything to play for tomorrow."

"Even during qualifying, the wind started to pick up, which might have made things more difficult. Overall, it was a good performance. Qualifying is never easy because you're always battling with yourself. Now, with more teams in the mix, it's always exciting when the fight for pole is so close."