Lando Norris secured pole position for the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the new Circuito de Madring, delivering a final lap in Q3 that he described as one of the best of his career. The McLaren driver posted a time of 1:31.824, narrowly beating Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds.
Norris, the reigning World Champion, admitted he was ‘shocked’ by the result, having not consistently topped the timesheets earlier in the weekend. He also revealed a near-miss in the final corner of his pole lap.
‘I’m shocked. I’m a little bit surprised to be here now, but my god it was probably one of the best laps I’ve done ever in my career,’ Norris stated. ‘It was just one of those laps where everything came together.’
The Briton’s performance marks his 19th career pole position and his third of the current 2026 Formula 1 season. His previous poles this year came at the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix.
Kimi Antonelli, the current championship leader, will start alongside Norris on the front row. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen qualified third, 0.140 seconds adrift of Norris’s pace.
Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, secured fourth place on the grid, followed by his teammate Charles Leclerc in fifth. George Russell completed the third row for Mercedes, qualifying sixth.
McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri will start seventh, nearly half a second behind Norris. Liam Lawson (Red Bull), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), and Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) rounded out the top ten qualifiers.
The Madring circuit, officially known as Circuito de Madring, is Formula 1’s newest purpose-built venue. It is a hybrid layout featuring 22 corners over approximately 5.4 kilometres, woven through the IFEMA exhibition grounds in north-east Madrid.
The track combines temporary roads with permanent sections, including two short tunnels and a heavily banked corner named ‘La Monumental’. This Turn 12 features a 24-degree banking over 550 metres.
The circuit has been described as ‘punishingly unforgiving’ due to its proximity to walls, a factor Norris alluded to in his post-qualifying comments. Construction for the venue began in May 2025.
Notable eliminations in Q1 included Spanish drivers Carlos Sainz (Williams) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), who qualified 17th and 18th respectively. Sainz is also under investigation for an impeding incident involving Valtteri Bottas.
Oliver Bearman (Haas) did not participate in qualifying following a crash in the final practice session. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) also failed to set a time due to a suspected water pressure issue.
Following qualifying, Kimi Antonelli received a warning from the FIA stewards for failing to adhere to delta time requirements in Q3. George Russell also received a warning for a separate procedural infringement at Turn 5.
McLaren currently holds third position in the Constructors’ standings with 287 points. Norris is fourth in the Drivers’ Championship with 171 points, while Piastri is seventh with 116.
The team has introduced minor aerodynamic updates for this Spanish Grand Prix weekend. Earlier in the season, McLaren faced challenges, including a gearbox issue for Norris in FP2 at Madring.
