Lando Norris delivered a surprise lap to take pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring, the first Formula 1 race at the new circuit. The McLaren driver recovered from a gearbox issue in FP2 to set a stunning 1m31.824s, a lap he described as one of the best of his career.
McLaren had not featured at the top of the timesheets in any of the three practice sessions, but Norris delivered when it mattered. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli had topped two practice sessions but fell just 0.011s short on Saturday. Max Verstappen also turned it on in qualifying to take third.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc showed impressive pace for Ferrari but could only manage fourth and fifth, while George Russell's fading championship hopes took another blow as he fell to the back of the third row. Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top 10.
Ollie Bearman took no part in qualifying after his crash in FP3 left him needing a chassis change, but he still finished ahead of Lance Stroll, who also failed to set a time. The full results can be found below.
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Lando Norris takes pole for 2026 F1 Spanish GP at Madring, beating Kimi Antonelli by 0.011s. Full qualifying results and analysis.
Lando Norris takes pole for the inaugural Spanish GP at Madring, beating Kimi Antonelli by 0.011s. Verstappen third, Hamilton fourth. Full qualifying report.
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