Norris snatches Spanish GP pole from Antonelli by 0.011s at new Madrid circuit

Lando Norris snatched pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit in Madrid on Saturday, denying Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli with a last-gasp lap of 1m31.824s — just 0.011 seconds quicker than the young Italian. Max Verstappen qualified third for Red Bull.

Antonelli had held provisional pole heading into the final moments of Q3, but the reigning world champion found the margin he needed on his final attempt to relegate the Mercedes driver to the front row’s outside. Verstappen’s third place means the championship picture heading into Sunday’s race is tightly contested at the top.

The session was not without drama further down the order. Franco Colapinto survived a significant scare during Q2 when the rear of his Alpine snapped loose through the high-speed La Monumental banking. The Argentinian composed himself to post a lap good enough for eighth, edging out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who failed to advance from Q2.

Arvid Lindblad also made it through to Q3 from the midfield, while both Audi drivers — Nico Hulkenberg in 11th and Gabriel Bortoleto in 12th — were eliminated. Esteban Ocon qualified 13th for Haas, with Pierre Gasly 14th after the Frenchman complained of a drastically different car balance compared to Friday’s final practice. Yuki Tsunoda and Alexander Albon rounded out the Q2 eliminations in 15th and 16th.

In Q1, George Russell led the way for Mercedes, pipping team-mate Antonelli by 0.056 seconds despite brushing the wall late in the segment. Verstappen ran on medium tyres to conserve a set of softs, as did Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, with both drivers still comfortably advancing.

Albon beat Williams team-mate Carlos Sainz by just 0.005 seconds to claim the final Q2 spot in 16th, with the home crowd favourite Sainz — the highest-placed Spanish driver — eliminated in 17th. Fernando Alonso could only manage 18th for Aston Martin, while Cadillac’s Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas propped up the order, Bottas unable to complete a clean lap after being impeded by Sainz.

Haas’s Oliver Bearman did not take part in qualifying after a heavy crash at the end of a delayed third practice session left his team unable to repair the car in time.