Kimi Antonelli narrowly missed pole position for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix, qualifying second at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Mercedes driver was just 0.011 seconds slower than Lando Norris, who secured pole for McLaren.
Antonelli will start alongside Norris on the front row for Sunday’s race. The Italian described the qualifying session as ‘very intense’ due to the challenging conditions experienced on track.
Norris clocked a fastest lap of 1:12.345, with Antonelli recording a 1:12.356. This narrow margin represents the smallest difference for pole position seen during the current season.
The high track temperatures, reaching 48 degrees Celsius, made finding the correct car balance particularly difficult for all competitors. Antonelli noted the struggle to achieve optimal setup.
Despite missing pole, Antonelli’s second-place qualification positions him ahead of his primary championship rivals. He currently sits third in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) qualified third with a time of 1:12.480, while Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) secured fourth, posting a 1:12.555. Both drivers are ahead of Antonelli in the championship.
George Russell, Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate, qualified fifth with a 1:12.601, indicating a strong overall performance for the Mercedes team. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took sixth.
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) qualified seventh, followed by Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) in eighth. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) secured ninth, and Carlos Sainz (Williams) completed the top ten.
Norris acknowledged the demanding nature of the circuit and the session. He stated, ‘It’s not easy to get everything right on a circuit like this, that’s quite tricky.’
He further added, ‘But all in all, I think we did a good job, and now we’ll see what we can achieve tomorrow.’ McLaren demonstrated strong pace throughout the qualifying session.
Mercedes’ improved pace in recent races, highlighted by Antonelli’s front-row start and Russell’s top-five finish, suggests progress with their W17 chassis.
