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Q2 – Hamilton leads the way and Alonso just misses the cut
After a slight delay to Q2 while gravel was swept from the track, Sainz led the pack out when the action got under way and several teams looked to be utilising a tow as the first laps of the session went on the board.
Norris again went fastest after those opening runs, the McLaren driver ahead of team mate Piastri by eight hundredths with a lap of 1m 19.727s, while Verstappen was third quickest and just over a tenth away from Norris.
However, the picture changed when the Mercedes pair emerged on fresh tyres, with Hamilton displacing Norris in P1. Given that the margins were still fine – demonstrated by Hamilton’s advantage being just 0.086s – it looked all to play for ahead of the second runs. Further back, Alonso, Magnussen, Gasly, Ocon and Ricciardo were the drivers at risk.
As everyone barring Norris and Sainz returned to the track for their final attempt, Albon and Hulkenberg both improved to get into the top-10, just behind Perez in P8. All eyes were then on Alonso in P11, but the two-time champion missed out on Q3 by just one hundredth of a second.
Ricciardo was also unable to better his time and exited in P12, while Magnussen, Gasly and Ocon found themselves out in P13, P14 and P15 respectively.
Knocked out: Alonso, Ricciardo, Magnussen, Gasly, Ocon
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