Norris Claims Pole for Inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at Madring in Dramatic Finish
Lando Norris delivered a spectacular final lap to secure pole position for the first-ever Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit, edging out Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli and reigning World Champion Max Verstappen in a thrilling Q3 shootout. The McLaren driver stopped the clock at 1m 31.824s to claim the 19th pole of his career, displacing Lewis Hamilton who had set the provisional benchmark on the opening runs.
Q3: Norris Strikes Late to Deny Hamilton and Antonelli
The final segment began with high anticipation after a weekend heavily disrupted by red flags. Antonelli set the early pace before Hamilton responded with a blistering 1m 32.079s to bounce back emphatically from his FP3 crash. With the first runs complete, Hamilton led Antonelli, Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and the two McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri.
On the decisive final attempts, Antonelli improved to retake P1, but Hamilton could not find further time. Norris then produced a lap he later described as “one of my best”, crossing the line just 0.011s clear of the Italian. Verstappen also extracted a late gain to lock out the front row in third, ahead of Hamilton, Leclerc, and George Russell in sixth. Piastri settled for seventh, with Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto, and rookie Arvid Lindblad rounding out the top ten.
Key Quote: Norris on His Pole Lap
“I’m shocked, I’m a little bit surprised to be here now, but my god it was probably one of the best laps I’ve done ever in my career,” Norris said. “Very, very happy, very proud, very happy for the team. It was just one of those laps where everything came together. I had a good idea of what I wanted to do, but it was whether my brain let me do it on the last lap and everything pretty much worked perfectly. I’m just very happy – one of those laps where you look at the lap time at the end and you’re like, ‘Oh, s*** that was pretty good’.”
Q2: Audi Miss Out as Verstappen Leads the Way
After a brief reset, the 16 remaining drivers returned for Q2. Antonelli again set the initial reference (1m 32.603s), but Verstappen immediately undercut him by 0.046s to signal Red Bull’s intent. Lawson kept the sister car in the mix in fourth.
A late flurry saw Colapinto climb to seventh, but both Audis fell short. Nico Hulkenberg qualified 11th ahead of teammate Gabriel Bortoleto. Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly (who complained of a lack of grip), Yuki Tsunoda, and Alex Albon also failed to progress. Lindblad and Piastri squeezed into Q3 with identical lap times, while Verstappen held onto the provisional pole position heading into the final session.
Knocked out (Q2): Hulkenberg, Bortoleto, Ocon, Gasly, Tsunoda, Albon.
Q1: Home Heartbreak for Sainz and Alonso
Qualifying began with 18 cars after Ollie Bearman’s Haas was deemed unrepairable following his FP3 crash, while Lance Stroll sat out with a suspected water pressure issue on his Aston Martin. Antonelli topped the early timesheets on softs (1m 33.566s), with Verstappen close behind on mediums.
Audi continued their strong weekend form as Bortoleto ran third early on. Lawson eventually set the Q1 benchmark, while Russell survived a brush with the barriers—mirroring Albon’s FP3 incident—to advance comfortably. In the closing minutes, both Spanish drivers fell victim to the tight circuit and traffic. Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso were eliminated in Q1 to the dismay of the home crowd. Sainz was also noted by the stewards for allegedly impeding Valtteri Bottas in the Cadillac.
Sergio Perez and Bottas filled the next positions, ahead of the absent Bearman and Stroll.
Knocked out (Q1): Sainz, Alonso, Perez, Bottas, Bearman, Stroll.
What’s Next
The 2026 Spanish Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 15:00 local time on Sunday. The Madring layout has proven treacherous all weekend, promising a demanding race where track position will be at a premium.
