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McLaren driver Lando Norris delivered a stunning final lap to take pole position for the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring in Madrid, according to official Formula 1 timing data. The reigning world champion posted a time of 1:31.824 to beat Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by 0.011 seconds with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen qualifying third at 0.140 seconds behind. Norris had been as low as seventh in Q2 before improving dramatically in the closing moments of Q3.
Norris told reporters after the session that the lap ranked among his best ever. “I’m shocked and a little bit surprised to be here now, but my God, it was probably one of the best laps I’ve done in my career,” Norris said. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described the effort as a masterpiece even though Norris lost three-tenths of a second with a mistake at the final corner.
The result marks Norris’ third pole of the 2026 season and his 19th career pole, according to season tallies from BBC Sport. Antonelli, who leads the drivers’ championship, will line up alongside him on the front row while Verstappen starts third for Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth for Ferrari ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc in fifth.
The new Madring circuit in the Spanish capital proved demanding throughout qualifying with its layout punishing minor errors, Reuters reported. Haas driver Oliver Bearman missed the session entirely after a crash in final practice while Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll will start from the back of the grid after a power unit penalty and failing to set a time. George Russell ended up sixth for Mercedes with Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri seventh.
Liam Lawson qualified eighth for Red Bull followed by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad in the top 10, Formula 1 data shows. The tight gaps across the field suggest a competitive race on Sunday where overtaking could be limited on the unfamiliar layout. Norris had missed much of Friday’s running due to a gearbox problem yet still mastered the track when it counted most.
This marks the first Formula 1 event at the Madring and the first Spanish Grand Prix held in Madrid, according to event organizers. Teams spent the weekend unlocking performance on the semi-street circuit with data from free practice sessions proving crucial. Norris’ late improvement of more than a second between Q2 and Q3 underlined the car’s potential once optimized.
