Madrid, Spain, September 12, 2026: Lando Norris secured his third pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season after edging Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds in a thrilling qualifying session for the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit.

The reigning FIA Formula One World Champion produced a 1m 31.824s lap on his final Q3 attempt to claim his 19th career pole position, denying Antonelli what had looked set to be a Mercedes-topped qualifying session.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen completed the front row after qualifying third, just 0.140 seconds away from Norris, while Ferrari teammates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc secured fourth and fifth respectively.

Norris left it late to deliver his pole-winning lap. Hamilton initially set the Q3 benchmark with a 1m 32.079s effort on Ferrari’s first run, with Antonelli and George Russell following closely behind. Leclerc was fourth, while Verstappen could only manage fifth after losing time at the final corner.

Antonelli then moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1m 31.835s lap on his final run, putting the Mercedes driver just 0.011 seconds ahead of Hamilton and appearing to have done enough for pole.

Norris was the final leading driver to complete his lap and responded with a decisive improvement. Despite running wide at the final corner, the McLaren driver crossed the line in 1m 31.824s to snatch pole position from Antonelli by the narrowest of margins.

Verstappen also improved on his final attempt to take third, while Hamilton and Leclerc completed the second row.

Russell qualified sixth in the second Mercedes, ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Liam Lawson placed eighth for Red Bull, with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto ninth and Racing Bulls youngster Arvid Lindblad completing the top 10.

Verstappen leads Q2 as midfield battle intensifies

Verstappen had set the pace in Q2, with Antonelli second, confirming the competitiveness of Red Bull during the later stages of qualifying.

The Dutchman had opted for medium tyres during Q1, while Lawson used soft tyres to set the third-fastest time in the opening segment.

Audi showed promising pace in Q2, with Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto both looking capable of fighting their way into Q3. However, the two Audi drivers ultimately fell short, qualifying 11th and 12th respectively.

Colapinto recovered from a major rear-end moment at La Monumental that forced him to abandon his first Q2 attempt. The Alpine driver returned for the final runs and produced a lap good enough for ninth.

Lindblad also impressed by reaching Q3, while Piastri progressed with an identical lap time to the Racing Bulls driver.

Esteban Ocon qualified 13th for Haas, followed by Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda and Alexander Albon.

Gasly, who had taken pole at the previous round, struggled to reproduce that form at the Madring. The Alpine driver reported that the car balance felt significantly different compared with Free Practice 3.

Sainz and Alonso miss out on Q2

Q1 produced a major disappointment for the Spanish home crowd as both Spanish drivers failed to make the top 16.

Mercedes’ Russell set the fastest time in the opening segment, beating teammate Antonelli by 0.056 seconds. Russell survived a brush with the wall, while Verstappen and Lawson also showed strong early pace.

Williams driver Albon secured the final Q2 position, beating home favourite Carlos Sainz by just 0.005 seconds. Sainz therefore qualified 17th, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was 18th.

Sainz was also reported to the stewards over an alleged impeding incident involving Valtteri Bottas, with the matter referred for investigation.

Sergio Perez qualified 19th for Cadillac, while Bottas was 20th after failing to complete a clean lap following the incident with Sainz.

Neither Lance Stroll nor Oliver Bearman set a qualifying time.

Bearman was unable to take part after a heavy crash during the delayed third practice session left Haas with insufficient time to repair his car. Stroll remained in the Aston Martin garage with a suspected water-pressure issue and is already set to start at the back of the grid after exceeding his Honda power-unit allocation for the season.

2026 Spanish Grand Prix qualifying results

Norris will now start the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix from pole, with Antonelli alongside him on the front row and Verstappen starting third. With just 0.011 seconds separating the McLaren and Mercedes drivers in qualifying, the opening laps at the Madring promise to be closely contested.