It was a private battle for pole position between the two Mercedes drivers in Spanish Grand Prix qualifying, with championship leader Lewis Hamilton pipping team mate Valtteri Bottas by just 0.059s in extremely hot conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

This was the second week in a row that the pole position margin has been 0.063s or lower, and Hamilton’s fourth pole in six races and 92nd of his career, as he also passed 150 front row starts.