Lando Norris takes Spanish Grand Prix pole in Madrid ahead of Kimi Antonelli
McLaren driver Lando Norris edged championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 0.011 seconds to take pole position at the inaugural Madring circuit for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Norris secures pole in final qualifying runs
McLaren driver Lando Norris secured pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday, setting a time of 1:31.824 on his final run at the Madring circuit. Norris edged championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes by 0.011 seconds to claim his 19th career pole and his third of the 2026 season. Antonelli had posted a 1:31.835 before Norris crossed the line, having previously recorded a 1:32.140 on his opening effort. Norris had ranked sixth after the opening flying laps of Q3, fifth in Q1, and seventh in Q2 before improving on his final lap.
It was probably one of the best laps I've done ever in my career.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella told Sky Sports that the lap was a masterpiece, while noting that Norris lost three tenths of a second to an error at the final corner.
Grid positions behind the front row
Max Verstappen qualified third for Red Bull, finishing 0.140 seconds off the pole time after leading Q2. Lewis Hamilton placed fourth for Ferrari with a best time of 1:32.079, which had held provisional pole after the initial runs in Q3. Hamilton reported balance issues over team radio during his final attempt, telling his race engineer Carlo Santi that tyre issues hampered the lap.
It's a dodgy set of tyres. Sorry guys, I gave it everything.
Charles Leclerc qualified fifth in the second Ferrari, while George Russell took sixth for Mercedes. McLaren's Oscar Piastri qualified seventh, almost half a second behind Norris. Red Bull driver Liam Lawson placed eighth, Alpine's Franco Colapinto took ninth after recovering from a slide through the banked La Monumental corner in Q2, and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.
- Lando Norris misses most of the session due to a gearbox issue.
- Kimi Antonelli leads the session as Lewis Hamilton and Oliver Bearman crash.
- Lewis Hamilton sets a 1:32.079 lap to take provisional pole.
- Lando Norris clocks 1:31.824 to take pole by 0.011 seconds over Kimi Antonelli.
Incidents and practice session disruptions
Qualifying ran without red flags across all three segments, following several disruptions during earlier sessions at the 5.4-kilometer hybrid urban circuit. Haas driver Oliver Bearman did not take part in qualifying after a heavy collision with the barrier near the end of the final practice session. Lance Stroll was unable to set a lap time for Aston Martin due to a suspected water pressure problem. Spanish drivers Carlos Sainz of Williams and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin qualified in 17th and 18th positions respectively.
During Saturday morning practice, Hamilton caused a red flag after locking up and sliding straight at the final corner, damaging his front wing against the safety barriers. Norris also faced technical setbacks earlier in the weekend, missing almost all of Friday's second practice session because of a gearbox issue.
Title standings and race schedule
The 57-lap Spanish Grand Prix is scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM BST on Sunday at the Madring, which is hosting Formula One for the first time as the sport returns to the Spanish capital area after more than four decades. Antonelli leads the drivers' championship after 13 rounds, holding a 66-point lead over his Mercedes teammate Russell. Hamilton sits third in the standings, 76 points behind Antonelli, while Norris enters Sunday's race 96 points adrift of the leader.
- George Russell
- 66 points
- Lewis Hamilton
- 76 points
- Lando Norris
- 96 points
