Norris edges Antonelli for pole at Spanish Grand Prix
Lando Norris secured his third pole of the 2026 season at the new Madring circuit, beating championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 0.011 seconds in the final qualifying session.
Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix on the newly opened Madring circuit, posting a lap of 1:31.824 to finish 0.011 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. The narrow margin gave McLaren its third pole of the 2026 season and marked Mercedes' fourth straight qualifying loss.
The 5.4km track, which combines street-type sections with a high-speed purpose-built loop, hosted its first Formula 1 qualifying without major incidents. In the Q3 shootout, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton initially led with a 1:32.079 lap, but Antonelli later improved to 1:31.835 to take provisional pole before Norris delivered the decisive time.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen recovered from an early mistake to finish third, while his teammate Liam Lawson completed the top five alongside Ferrari’s Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Mercedes driver George Russell rounded out the top six, followed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Midfield battles saw Alpine’s Franco Colapinto secure eighth after a near-miss on the La Monumental banking, and Haas driver Oscar Piastri taking seventh. Several drivers, including Haas rookie Oliver Bearman and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, failed to set a time due to a crash and a suspected water-pressure issue respectively.