Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas has grabbed the pole position for the third consecutive grand prix after reeling off a stunning lap during qualification for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, Spain.
The Formula One leader clocked the fastest lap of one minute and 15.406 seconds to finish 0.634 seconds quicker than his Mercedes team-mate and four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel finished at the third position after finishing 0.866 seconds behind Bottas, the Formula One official website reported.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen made a fourth-place finish in the intense qualifying round after seeing off Charles Leclerc, who was carrying suspected floor damage on his Ferrari after heavy contact with the kerbs in Q2.
Verstappen’s teammate Pierre Gasly was sixth quickest, followed by the Haas pair of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen and Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat.
However, it was mixed fortunes for Renault. While Daniel Ricciardo rounded off the top 10 despite a three three-place grid penalty for his collision with Kvyat in Baku, his teammate Nico Hulkenberg made a shocking exit in Q1 after damaging his car.
Bottas is currently standing at the top of the drivers' championship after winning two out of four races so far. He is maintaining a lead of just one point over his team-mate Hamilton, who also has two wins in his account.
