Sochi (Russia) (AFP)

Two driving errors for the Briton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) at the end of qualifying and it was his compatriot Lando Norris (McLaren), 21, who took his first pole position in Formula 1 in Russia on Saturday.

Starting Sunday at 3 p.m. local (2 p.m. French / 12 p.m. GMT), Norris - who gave McLaren his first pole since Brazil in 2012 - will share the front row with Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari), 27, who He had never qualified so well either.

In an unusual configuration but which could become the norm in the coming years, the second row goes to Britons George Russell (Williams) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who will be team members in 2022.

The seven-time world champion, whose last top position dates back to before the summer break, can only deplore a muddled end of the session which saw him hit a wall at the entrance to the pit lane and then take the lead - spinning on the track.

It is certainly not the best for the confidence, but the important thing for Hamilton is that his rival in the championship Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who is ahead of him by only five points, will start last on the grid, penalized for an engine change.

The Mercedes driver will also have the advantage of the aspiration offered by his predecessors at the end of the first straight, which could allow him to gain places in the first lap.

The Russian GP in Sochi - where the Silver Arrows are unbeaten - has only been won from pole position twice out of seven, in 2014 and 2016.

- Cataclysmic weather -

Can Norris make the statistics lie in the 15th round of 22 in 2021 and give McLaren a second consecutive victory (after that of his Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo in the previous round in Italy) following nine years of famine?

"Extremely happy" and aware that his next pole "is not necessarily for now", the young Briton admits that Sochi is not the best place to benefit from it.

But you never know.

Sunday's weather promises to be rather mild, with a slight risk of showers, according to Météo France forecasts for the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

Saturday, on the other hand, has long been cataclysmic.

The rain, which started to fall overnight, turned into an intense thunderstorm in the morning, preventing Free Practice 3 and the first race of the weekend in Formula 2.

The F1 cars were the first to hit the track at the scheduled time (3:00 p.m.) on drying asphalt.

The riders were only able to put on slick tires during the third and final part of qualifying and it was the first to make this bet - Sainz, Norris and Russell - who took advantage, with more time to climb. their gums at the ideal temperature.

- Tchaikovsky replaces the Russian anthem -

Hamilton, delayed by his mistake in the pits which led to a change of front wing and tires at the same time, paid the price.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) Spaniard Fernando Alonso (Alpine), Finnish Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes), Canadian Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) and French Esteban Ocon (Alpine) complete the Top 10 qualifiers.

German Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) is 11th ahead of second Frenchman Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri).

Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Canadian Nicholas Latifi (Williams) are penalized for the same reasons as Verstappen.

While Russia recorded a new record of daily deaths due to Covid-19 on Friday, the capacity of the stands is reduced to 50%, or 27,000 tickets sold each day.

It is only among the spectators and on the cars of the Haas team that we will see the Russian colors this weekend in F1.

The flag and the national anthem are absent from the protocol, the country being excluded from major international sports competitions after a huge doping scandal.

Before departure, it is therefore an excerpt from the first piano concerto by Russian composer Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky that we will hear, as during the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

© 2021 AFP