Max Verstappen names key factor that will decide Barcelona GP in potential Lewis Hamilton blow

Max Verstappen has named what he believes will be the key factor in deciding the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - and it could spell bad news for Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton if it comes to pass.

Mercedes driver George Russell has qualified on pole for the race on Sunday, with Hamilton behind him on the front row.

The two British drivers were the class of the field on Saturday afternoon, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli a distant third.

Should both Mercedes drivers still be in the top three by turn one - or at least near to the front of the field - they could be presented with a key advantage over Ferrari.

Charles Leclerc suffered a heavy crash during Q3, leaving Ferrari with only Hamilton competing for pole.

READ MORE: Charles Leclerc involved in brutal crash during Q3 for Barcelona GP as medical car deployed

The incident means Leclerc will start the Grand Prix from 10th place, which could force Ferrari into a corner as far as strategy is concerned.

Mercedes, on the other hand, would be able to experiment with their strategies, and near ensure that at least one of their drivers can be in the best possible position to take the chequered flag and win the race.

High tyre degradation has been an issue throughout the weekend, with Verstappen - who qualified fifth - predicting that will remain the same on race day.

"To be honest, all the tyres felt bad, so I guess everyone will struggle," he told reporters.

"It just depends on who will struggle the most or not. So we'll see."

Why tyre degradation could benefit Mercedes

Both the Mercedes and Ferrari cars have been strong on their tyres this season, but the aforementioned scenario of Mercedes leading the way on Sunday will play into their hands.

For instance, even if Hamilton is ahead of both Mercedes during the first stint, the Silver Arrows can attempt to undercut him early with one of their drivers and potentially force Ferrari to pit Hamilton to keep him ahead.

On the other hand, though, Ferrari could have the luxury of pitting Leclerc early if he is not fighting for the top positions, therefore giving valuable tyre information to Hamilton before his stop.

One team who is set to not benefit at all from higher deg is McLaren, with Lando Norris qualifying fourth ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri in seventh.

Team principal Andrea Stella said that McLaren still have work to do when it comes to tyre performance in different conditions.

He explained (via The Race): "We know at McLaren that we have some opportunities to do better.

"We have margin still to design our car to make sure that the tyres operate in the right range, in conditions that can span from the [cold] Sunday in Canada, where we were not very competitive, and mostly because of tyre temperature.

"In the very hot conditions that we are finding here in Barcelona, we are not as competitive as we were in 2025, in terms of tyre conditioning and tyre degradation.

"It's a very clear objective for development. We will see where we effectively are, but based on what we have seen in practice, we don't seem to be having any particular advantage from this point of view."