Lando Norris Claims Pole at Inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at Madring
Reigning world champion Lando Norris secured his third pole position of the 2025 Formula 1 season at the Spanish Grand Prix, edging out championship leader Kimi Antonelli by a razor-thin 0.011 seconds on F1’s first-ever visit to the Madring circuit near Madrid.
Norris Strikes in Final Moments at Madring
The 5.4km Madring layout, a challenging blend of street sections and a high-speed purpose-built loop with minimal runoff areas, hosted its maiden qualifying session without the major incidents or traffic chaos many had predicted. Despite the circuit’s demanding nature, the hour-long session ran smoothly.
In the decisive Q3 shootout, Lewis Hamilton set the early benchmark for Ferrari with a 1m32.079s lap, leading the Mercedes duo of Antonelli and George Russell, along with teammate Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen had shown strong pace for Red Bull throughout qualifying but slipped up on his first flying lap in Q3, settling for fifth behind the two McLarens.
Antonelli moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1m31.835s effort on the second runs, a time that seemed destined for pole. However, Norris, heading out first among the frontrunners, delivered a stunning final sector—drifting wide out of the final corner—to snatch the top spot with a 1m31.824s.
The result hands Mercedes its fourth consecutive qualifying defeat.
Verstappen Recovers for Third; Ferrari and Mercedes Fill Top Six
Verstappen recovered to claim third place, a surprisingly competitive result for Red Bull after a difficult start to the weekend. Hamilton and Leclerc locked out the second row for Ferrari in fourth and fifth. Russell could only manage sixth in the second Mercedes, followed by Oscar Piastri in the sister McLaren. Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto, and rookie Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top 10.
Midfield Battle Sees Lindblad Shine, Gasly Struggles
Q2 produced a fierce midfield fight. Nico Hulkenberg and Lindblad secured provisional Q3 spots early, putting teammates Gabriel Bortoleto and Yuki Tsunoda under immediate pressure. Both Alpines struggled initially; Pierre Gasly and Colapinto failed to complete clean first runs. Colapinto survived a massive moment through the high-speed Monumental banking but recomposed to qualify eighth. Gasly, lamenting a “radically different car balance compared to FP3,” could only manage 14th.
Lindblad’s progression to Q3 came at the expense of the two Audi entries. Esteban Ocon qualified 13th for Haas, with Tsunoda and Alex Albon in 15th and 16th respectively.
Sainz Misses Q2 by 0.005s; Bearman and Stroll Sidelined
Earlier in Q1, Russell led the way, pipping teammate Antonelli by 0.056s despite a light tap against the wall. Red Bull looked potent, with Lawson third on soft tires and Verstappen fourth on mediums—a strategic move saving a set of softs for later. Ferrari mirrored this strategy with Hamilton and Leclerc.
At the bottom of the timesheets, Williams’ Albon grabbed the final Q2 spot in 16th, beating teammate and home favorite Carlos Sainz by a mere 0.005s. Albon’s performance was a strong recovery after a wall strike in FP3 forced him to miss most of that session. Fernando Alonso qualified 18th for Aston Martin, while Cadillac’s Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas propped up the field. Bottas was unable to set a clean lap after being impeded by Sainz.
Qualifying began without Oliver Bearman. A “gutted” Bearman suffered a heavy crash at the end of Saturday’s delayed third practice session, leaving Haas facing an impossible repair timeline. Lance Stroll also did not set a time due to what Aston Martin described as a suspected water pressure issue; the Canadian is already set for a back-of-the-grid penalty for exceeding his Honda power unit allowance.
Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying Results – Top 10
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Liam Lawson (Red Bull)
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
