The reigning world champion secured pole position for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix after stopping the clock at 1:31.824, beating championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who had set the pace for much of the weekend, by just 11 thousandths of a second.
Spanish GP 2026 Starting Grid: Norris Stuns Antonelli at Madring
The first Formula 1 qualifying session at Madring ended with a spectacular lap from Lando Norris.
It was Norris’ third pole of the season, the 19th of his career and, more importantly, the first pole position ever achieved by a driver at the new Madrid circuit.
Norris and Antonelli will therefore share an explosive front row for a race that could have major implications in the championship battle.
Verstappen and Hamilton Threaten From the Second Row
The margins at the front were incredibly small.
Max Verstappen put his Red Bull third on the grid, just 0.140 seconds behind Norris, while Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari after temporarily holding provisional pole during the opening runs of Q3.
Behind them is Charles Leclerc in fifth, followed by George Russell, who could only put his Mercedes sixth.
Oscar Piastri will start seventh in the second McLaren, while Liam Lawson completed a strong qualifying session for Red Bull by taking eighth.
The top five were separated by less than two-tenths of a second, setting the stage for an extremely close battle in the first Formula 1 race at Madring.
Verstappen and Hamilton Threaten From the Second Row
The margins at the front were incredibly small.
Max Verstappen put his Red Bull third on the grid, just 0.140 seconds behind Norris, while Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari after temporarily holding provisional pole during the opening runs of Q3.
Behind them is Charles Leclerc in fifth, followed by George Russell, who could only put his Mercedes sixth.
Oscar Piastri will start seventh in the second McLaren, while Liam Lawson completed a strong qualifying session for Red Bull by taking eighth.
The top five were separated by less than two-tenths of a second, setting the stage for an extremely close battle in the first Formula 1 race at Madring.
Difficult Qualifying for Sergio Pérez and the Spanish Drivers
The back of the grid produced several surprises.
Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso were eliminated in Q1 in front of their home crowd, while Sergio Pérez also failed to advance with Cadillac.
Checo originally finished 19th, ahead of his teammate Valtteri Bottas.
However, Sainz received a three-place grid penalty after being deemed responsible for impeding Bottas during qualifying.
The penalty sends the Williams driver to the back of the grid and allows Alonso, Pérez, and Bottas to each gain one position for the start.
Oliver Bearman and Lance Stroll, meanwhile, were unable to set a qualifying time. Bearman’s Haas could not be repaired in time following his crash in the third practice session, while an issue with Stroll’s Aston Martin prevented him from taking to the track.
Top 10 Starting Grid for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix
- Lando Norris — McLaren
- Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes
- Max Verstappen — Red Bull
- Lewis Hamilton — Ferrari
- Charles Leclerc — Ferrari
- George Russell — Mercedes
- Oscar Piastri — McLaren
- Liam Lawson — Red Bull
- Franco Colapinto — Alpine
- Arvid Lindblad — Racing Bulls
The grid is set for what promises to be a fascinating race on a new and narrow circuit where starting position could become a decisive factor.
The 2026 Spanish Grand Prix will get underway Sunday at 3:00 p.m. local time in Madrid.
Norris will have the advantage from pole.
But with Antonelli, Verstappen, and Hamilton directly behind him, the race to reach Turn 1 first could become the opening major battle of Sunday.
