2026 #F1 #Qualifying: @LandoNorris pips #Antonelli to #SpanishGP pole by 0.011s.
Lando Norris, #4, McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team-Mercedes MCL40, celebrates in Parc Ferme after taking his 19th-career pole Qualifying, Formula 1 Tag Heuer Spanish Grand Prix 2026, Madring, Madrid, Spain. Image credit to Sam Bloxham/LAT Images. Norris Spanish GP Pole, 2026 Spanish GP Qualifying, Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying Results, F1 Madrid Qualifying Results, Formula 1 Madring Qualifying Results.
Norris Spanish GP Pole – Reigning World Champion Lando Norris pipped championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli to pole position for tomorrow’s Spanish GP by a slim 0.011 seconds as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen rounded out the top three.
This was Norris’s 19th-career pole and third for the season as the Briton aims to score his third victory of the season to push him further into title contention.
In Q3, the initial hot-laps saw championship leader Antonelli lead the pack out and the Italian registered the benchmark of a 1:32.140 with the best final sector as Russell slotted into second on a 1:32.265 whilst Norris took third on a 1:32.525.
Leclerc took third with a 1:32.285 as his team-mate with three personal bests grabbed provisional pole on a 1:32.079 to be 0.061 seconds clear of Antonelli.
Verstappen with the best middle sector and two personal bests wounded up fifth on a 1:32.333.
The final flyers saw Antonelli lead the pack out once more and the Mercedes driver with the best opening sector and final sector took provisional pole on a 1:31.835 as Russell slotted into third on a 1:32.149.
Leclerc ended up second on a 1:32.019, but only briefly as Hamilton pipped his team-mate with a 1:32.013.
Norris grabbed pole position on a 1:31.824 off Antonelli by 0.011 seconds with a purple sector one time whilst Verstappen with the best middle sector ended up 0.140 seconds off Norris in third with a 1:31.964.
Hamilton and Leclerc were relegated to fourth and fifth respectively as Russell and Piastri in the other Mercedes and McLaren ended up sixth and seventh with their 1:32.149 and 1:32.294 efforts.
Red Bull’s Liam Lawson qualified eighth whilst Alpine’s Colapinto and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten.
In the middle segment, which was topped by Verstappen, a late improvement from Lindblad saw Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg knocked out of Q2 by a slim 0.019 seconds as the German starts tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix outside the top ten in 11th place.
The other Audi of Gabriel Bortoleto followed in 12th and in-front of Haas’s Esteban Ocon who took 13th and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly who placed 14th.
Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda and Williams’ Alexander Albon were the slowest of the Q2 eliminatees in 15th and 16th respectively.
In the opening qualifying stage, which was topped by Russelli, a flurry of late improvements saw Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda send Williams’ Carlos Sainz out of Q1 with the Spaniard missing out on a Q2 appearance by a very slim 0.005 seconds meaning the Spaniard will start his home Grand Prix down in 17th.
Other home favourite Fernando Alonso starts behind his fellow Spanish-compatriot in 18th and in-front of Cadillac pairing Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas who were 19th and 20th respectively.
Both Haas F1 Team’s Oliver Bearman and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll were unable to take part in qualifying due to a heavy shunt in FP3 (Bearman) and technical issue detected aboard his AMR22 racer (Stroll).
You can see the full Formula 1 Tag Heuer Gran Premio De Espana 2026 Qualifying Results classification at the link: FORMULA 1 TAG HEUER GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2026 – QUALIFYING
2026 Spanish GP Qualifying – The Top Three
2026 Spanish GP Pole Position – Lando Norris, #4, McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team-Mercedes, MCL40 – 1:31.824:
“I’m shocked, I’m a little bit surprised to be here now. My god, it was one of the best laps I’ve done in my career. Very happy. I had a good idea of what I wanted to do, it was whether my brain would let me. One of those laps where you look at the lap time at the end and go oh ***** that was good. The adrenaline was high on the last lap; you have to relax and let it all flow. The car was feeling good, so I felt good out there. It was pretty much perfect bar the last corner, I thought I was in the wall and the boys would have to repair the car tonight. One of those moments you are in the flow state.”
2nd Position – Andrea Kimi Antonelli, #12, Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team, F1 W17 – 1:32.835:
“I thought it was a good lap, but then this guy just snatched it away! It was an intense Qualifying, hard to get the balance right in these temperatures. Overall, we did a good job and I will try and see what I can do tomorrow.”
3rd Position – Max Verstappen, #3, Oracle Red Bull Racing, Ford-RBPT, RB22 – 1:31.964:
“For us, it was a very good Qualifying. For me to be third is a great result. The car was decent in Qualifying and I could attack the corners how I liked.”
