McLaren driver clocked 1:31.824 and beat the championship leader by just 0s011; Verstappen and Hamilton share the second row, while Gabriel Bortoleto starts 11th.
Lando Norris seized pole position for the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix. In Madring’s first qualifying ever, held on Saturday (12), the McLaren driver posted 1:31.824 on his final attempt and beat Kimi Antonelli by a mere 0s011.
Max Verstappen finished third and will share the second row with Lewis Hamilton. Charles Leclerc finished fifth, followed by George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad. Gabriel Bortoleto was eliminated in Q2, but starts 12th, immediately behind Nico Hülkenberg.
Qualifying
The Madring’s maiden qualifying began with an open tussle for pole. Mercedes had led all weekend sessions: Russell topped FP1, while Antonelli led FP2 and FP3.
The lead, however, was never comfortable. Ferrari, McLaren and Verstappen stayed in close range, and the last practice had already placed Antonelli, Leclerc, Piastri, and Norris within 0s236 of each other.
The grid position gained particular significance. Across the sessions, drivers reported difficulty following other cars and making overtakes on Madring’s new track.
Another factor was the evolving asphalt. The fresh surface had gained grip quickly since Friday, increasing the importance of completing the lap at the right moment.
Hamilton still faced qualifying after a huge Ferrari effort. The Briton hit Turn 22 in FP3 and triggered a lengthy red flag, but the mechanics managed to repair the SF-26 in time.
Bearman did not have the same luck. After the heavy crash that ended FP3, Haas could not get its car ready to take part in qualifying.
Q1: Bortoleto starts strong
When the green light appeared at 11:00, a long queue quickly formed at the pit exit.
Most drivers used soft tyres, but there were different strategies. Leclerc and Verstappen initially appeared on medium compounds. Hamilton also completed his first time with the C3 compound.
Antonelli set one of the early important benchmarks with 1:33.566.
Verstappen replied with 1:33.744, while Russell posted 1:34.376, well behind his teammate after what looked a compromised attempt.
Leclerc appeared with 1:34.045 and Hamilton recorded 1:34.110.
Bortoleto started very well.
The Brazilian posted 1:33.986 and briefly stood third, once again showing the potential that had propelled Audi into the top 10 in FP3.
Lawson then surprised by taking the lead with 1:33.316.
Norris moved up to fourth and Verstappen improved to 1:33.381. Hamilton found more pace and reached 1:33.531.
As the first run ended, most returned to the pits for adjustments ahead of the decisive laps.
Antonelli accelerates at the end
With a little over three minutes remaining, the drivers returned to the track.
At that moment, Alonso, Albon, Pérez, Bottas, Bearman and Stroll occupied the elimination positions.
Stroll didn’t return for a final attempt. The driver had swapped several components and was already set to start from the back. Bearman, meanwhile, did not even participate due to damage sustained in FP3.
Antonelli lowered the benchmark to 1:33.267.
The track kept evolving. Tsunoda reached 1:34.311 and Gasly answered with 1:34.246. Colapinto posted 1:33.963 and jumped to ninth.
After the checkered flag, Russell still completed his lap and took the lead at the end of Q1.
The eliminated were Sainz, Alonso, Pérez, Bottas, Bearman and Stroll.
The race director also stated that an incident involving Sainz and Bottas in Turn 7, for possible blocking, would be investigated after the session.
Bortoleto had secured a place in Q2.
Q2: Verstappen reshapes the picture
The second phase began with the drivers quickly returning to the circuit.
Antonelli put Mercedes on top with 1:32.603 and Russell followed with 1:32.850.
Leclerc opened with 1:33.072 and Hamilton recorded 1:33.195.
Hülkenberg posted a strong lap and briefly put Audi in fifth with 1:33.352.
However, Verstappen arrived with a big lap pace in the sectors.
The Dutchman completed the lap in 1:32.557, only 0s046 ahead of Antonelli, and took the lead.
Bortoleto encountered more trouble.
The Brazilian posted 1:33.798, landing 11th and about four tenths behind his Audi teammate.
With everyone back in the garage, Ferrari employed a different approach and sent its drivers out ahead of the rivals.
Leclerc improved to 1:32.755. Hamilton went even quicker and posted 1:32.710, temporarily taking third place.
Bortoleto improves, but misses Q3
In the final minutes, the fight for survival began.
Antonelli improved to 1:32.591, but remained behind Verstappen.
Hülkenberg dropped to 1:33.223.
Colapinto delivered one of the standout laps of the segment. The Argentine posted 1:33.038 and jumped from 16th to eighth.
Bortoleto also made a significant improvement.
Gabriel completed his final run in 1:33.388, more than four tenths faster than his first lap.
It still wasn’t enough.
The Brazilian sat 11th at that moment and was eliminated.
In front, Verstappen lowered the tempo even further and clocked 1:32.431, ending Q2 as the fastest.
After the checkered flag, Lindblad recorded 1:33.204 and claimed the last spot in Q3. Norris posted 1:32.873 and Lawson impressed with 1:32.780.
Verstappen finished Q2 ahead of Antonelli, Hamilton and Leclerc. Lawson, Russell, Norris, Colapinto, Piastri and Lindblad also advanced.
Hülkenberg and Bortoleto missed the cut, along with Ocon, Gasly, Tsunoda and Albon.
The Audi outfit thus could not repeat its Q3 performance shown among the top ten during FP3.
Bortoleto finished his session with 1:33.388, 0s165 behind Hülkenberg and 0s184 behind Lindblad’s time, which set the cut.
Despite the elimination, the Brazilian would gain a position on the grid and start 11th, right in front of his teammate.
Q3: Ten drivers vie for Madring’s first pole
There were 13 minutes left to decide who would enter history as Madring’s first pole-sitter on the new Madrid circuit.
The ten qualifiers quickly formed a queue at the pit exit.
Norris received a black-and-white flag for not following race direction instructions, but stayed in the hunt.
Antonelli started strong.
The Italian posted 1:32.140 and temporarily led.
Russell appeared with 1:32.265.
Hamilton then showed that the Turn 3 incident hadn’t compromised his pace. The seven-time world champion posted 1:32.079 and took P1 from Antonelli.
Leclerc came in fourth, while Norris initially sat fifth.
Verstappen, who had led Q2, was quick but lost some time in the third sector and finished his first run only fifth at that moment.
Piastri did not immediately enter the battle for the top.
After the first barrage of laps, all returned to the pits.
New soft tyres. One more attempt remaining.
Antonelli delivers a big lap, but Norris responds
When the cars returned to the track, Verstappen was the last to leave the pits.
It was time for the truth. Antonelli completed an extraordinary lap first.
The championship leader posted 1:31.835, becoming the first driver to break the 1:32 barrier and taking provisional pole.
Russell improved to 1:32.149. Leclerc also moved forward, recording 1:32.019.
Hamilton responded almost immediately and posted 1:32.013, only 0s006 ahead of his Ferrari teammate.
Lawson posted 1:32.316. But the McLarens still had to come.
Then Norris appeared. The Briton completed his lap in 1:31.824.
By a mere eleven thousandths, Norris seized Madring’s pole from Antonelli.
Piastri improved to 1:32.294, but did not threaten the front row.
Only Verstappen remained. The Dutchman crossed the line in 1:31.964.
It was enough to move up to third, but not to surpass Norris or Antonelli.
Lando Norris was the pole-sitter for the Spanish Grand Prix.
First row decided by 0s011
Thus Norris clinched Madring’s inaugural pole with 1:31.824.
Antonelli, who led FP2 and FP3 and briefly held provisional pole in the final seconds, finished second by only 0s011.
Verstappen starts third, sharing the second row with Hamilton.
Leclerc leaves fifth, followed by Russell.
Piastri finished seventh with the second McLaren, while Lawson secured eighth. Colapinto and Lindblad completed the top ten.
Bortoleto starts 11th, right on the cusp of points and in a position that keeps the possibility of a climb in the race open.
The pole also places Norris before the chance to claim his third win of the 2026 season, after already taking two victories this year.
After Mercedes led the three practice sessions, it was McLaren who appeared in the decisive moment. And by the narrowest margin: 0s011 separated Norris and Antonelli in the fight for glory at Madring’s first Spanish Grand Prix.
Qualifying results for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix:
1) Lando Norris (McLaren), 1:31.824
2) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 1:31.835
3) Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 1:31.964
4) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 1:32.013
5) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 1:32.019
6) George Russell (Mercedes), 1:32.149
7) Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 1:32.294
8) Liam Lawson (Red Bull), 1:32.316
9) Franco Colapinto (Alpine), 1:32.903
10) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), 1:33.041
11) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), 1:33.223
12) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), 1:33.388
13) Esteban Ocon (Haas), 1:33.667
14) Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 1:33.753
15) Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls), 1:34.084
16) Alexander Albon (Williams), 1:35.532
17) Carlos Sainz Jr. (Williams), 1:35.312
18) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), 1:35.388
19) Sergio Pérez (Cadillac), 1:35.913
20) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac), 1:38.011
21) Oliver Bearman (Haas)
22) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
