Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was only fourth after crashing in the pit lane mid-way through the final sessions and then spinning on his final lap, as drivers risked slick tyres in the closing stages. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Williams driver George Russell took advantage of Hamilton’s error to vault into second and third places. Already one of the most impressive drivers of the year in the McLaren, Norris produced a final lap 0.517 seconds quicker than Sainz to take a hugely impressive maiden pole. Sainz rued being one of the first to complete his lap on a track that was getting drier by the second.

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