The F1 world championship leader recovered from a spin in his first race in Q3 to take pole position with his final lap, displacing Max Verstappen by 0.323 seconds.
Verstappen was unable to respond after being hit by his own Q3 issues as a DRS foul forced him to abandon his final qualifying lap and left him stuck in second place.
Carlos Sainz made a late improvement to move up to third in qualifying for his home race, ahead of a resurgent Mercedes led by George Russell in fourth.
That dropped Sergio Perez down to fifth for Red Bull, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton in sister Mercedes.
Valtteri Bottas claimed ‘best of the rest’ again in qualifying with seventh place Alfa Romeo, despite missing most of the FP2 session with an engine problem, as he beat Kevin Magnussen who also suffered DRS issues with his Haas in qualifying.
McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo grabbed ninth place as Mick Schumacher rounded out the top 10, making a solid recovery after missing the majority of final practice with a rear brake light.
Schumacher entered Q3 after Lando Norris lost his fastest lap in Q2 for going over the track limits in the second part of qualifying, meaning the McLaren driver will start the Spanish GP in 11th.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36, Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
When is the Spanish F1 Grand Prix?
Date: Sunday, May 22, 2022
Start time: 2:00 p.m. BST, 3:00 p.m. local time
The sixth round of the 2022 F1 season, the Spanish GP at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, will start at 3:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. BST) on Sunday 22 May.
How to watch Formula 1?
In the UK, Formula 1 is only shown live on Sky Sports, with highlights airing on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming via NOW is also available in the UK.
Sky Sports F1, which shows F1 racing, can be added as part of Sky Sports Channels, which costs £20 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed via NOW with a one-time payment of £11.98 or a monthly subscription of £33.99 per month.
Fans wanting to watch the race for free will have to wait until Saturday (qualifying) or Sunday (race) evening to see the highlights on Channel 4.
How can I watch the Spanish F1 GP?
In the UK, Sky Sports will broadcast the Spanish GP live, with the race shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Pre-race coverage will begin on Sky Sports F1 at 12.30pm BST before the race starts at 2.00pm BST.
• Channels: Sky Sports F1
• Start time: 12:30 BST, Sunday 22 May
Autosport will be showing live text coverage of the Spanish GP here.
Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-22
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
When can I watch Spanish F1 GP highlights?
In the UK, Channel 4 shows highlights from the Spanish GP at 6.30pm BST on Sunday evening. The full program will run for two hours and 30 minutes, covering the pre-race, race highlights and initial post-race reaction to wrap up the main talking points from the weekend.
Throughout the 2022 F1 season, Channel 4 will show highlights from every qualifying and race from every event. Highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on-demand catch-up services.
· Channel: Channel 4
· Start time: 6.30pm BST, Sunday 22 May
Will the Spanish F1 GP be on the radio?
Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race of the 2022 F1 season will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and via the BBC Sport website.
Live coverage of the Spanish GP will begin at 2:00 p.m. BST on BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sounds app.
Weather forecast for the Spanish F1 GP
The current weather forecast calls for warm and sunny conditions at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmelo, with a very low chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be 29 degrees Celsius for the start of the race, four degrees cooler than the Miami GP last time out.
How many laps does the Spanish F1 GP take?
The race is expected to cover 66 laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, covering a total race distance of 308.424km.
