Norris snatches Spanish GP pole by 0.011s as Wolff thought Antonelli had it

Lando Norris stole pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix from under Mercedes’ noses on Saturday, denying 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds with a stunning final lap at the new Madring circuit.

Antonelli had looked set to claim his first Formula 1 pole after improving to a 1m31.835s on his second Q3 run, a time that left every other rival at least 0.178 seconds adrift. Every rival, that is, except Norris. The McLaren driver, who had managed only a 1m32.525s on his opening Q3 attempt, produced a 1m31.824s to go top — despite what McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described as a three-tenth loss through the final corner.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted he had already begun to celebrate. “When Lewis crossed the line, it seemed clear we were winning this,” Wolff told Austrian broadcaster ORF. “And then Lando puts in a lap like that under conditions that suddenly got so hot, where he is so good at managing rear overheating. It’s flawless.”

Wolff had not anticipated the swing in form. McLaren had trailed Mercedes through every practice session and in each qualifying segment before Q3, making Norris’s pole lap all the more unexpected. “That surprised us, too,” Wolff said. “But Lando has shown in the past that he can occasionally pull out a lap like that. Especially when it comes to getting a handle on rear axle overheating as best as possible. And in that regard, I think he’s in a league of his own.”

Asked whether he viewed the outcome as a lost pole or a gained second place, Wolff chose the more optimistic framing. “It’s gained, looking at it that way. Before the weekend, I never believed we’d be at the front on this track layout.”

With one eye on the championship, Wolff also outlined Mercedes’ race priorities. Lewis Hamilton, the team’s primary challenger for the drivers’ title, sits 76 points behind Antonelli, while George Russell leads his former team-mate by just 10 points. “The most important thing is that we don’t crash into anything,” Wolff said. “And not losing points to Lewis and Ferrari. I think here you have to score, drive home, hopefully end up on the podium, hopefully ahead of Lewis. Then we’ve reached our goals.”