2025 Spanish GP Qualifying: Piastri Seals Stunning Pole in Barcelona

Oscar Piastri delivered a final-lap performance to snatch pole position for the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, edging out team-mate Lando Norris in a dramatic McLaren one-two. With the papaya cars trading blows all weekend, it was the championship leader who struck when it mattered most, clocking a 1:11.546 to secure his fourth pole of the 2025 F1 World Championship campaign.

Piastri had set the tone early, topping both Q1 and Q2 with confident, clean laps. But it was Norris who drew first blood in Q3, taking provisional pole on the opening run. That set up a tense finale at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya — and when the track peaked in grip, Piastri delivered, finding over two-tenths to reclaim the top spot by 0.209s.

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Max Verstappen managed to split the McLarens temporarily, but ultimately settled for third. His 1:11.755 was matched exactly by George Russell, but with the Red Bull driver crossing the line first, it was Verstappen who took the inside slot on row two. The reigning champion, however, still faces an uphill battle, trailing Piastri by 25 points in the standings.

Lewis Hamilton emerged as the top Ferrari in fifth, with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli continuing to impress in sixth. Charles Leclerc, struggling to extract pace from the SF-25, could only manage seventh. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly slotted into eighth, while Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar continued his excellent weekend form in ninth. Local hero Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10 for Aston Martin.

Just missing the cut for Q3 was Alex Albon, who fell short by just 0.034s in P11. Behind him were Gabriel Bortoleto (P12), Liam Lawson (P13), Lance Stroll (P14), and Ollie Bearman (P15).

A frantic Q1 saw several big names fall early, including Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon, while home favourite Carlos Sainz was left frustrated in 18th after a poor final sector on his last run. Franco Colapinto’s qualifying ended prematurely due to a pit lane issue, keeping him in P19, and Yuki Tsunoda had a session to forget, finishing dead last and a full second behind team-mate Verstappen.

As McLaren lock out the front row and Verstappen lurks on row two, Sunday’s race is set for fireworks — and with both championship contenders at the sharp end, the next twist in the 2025 F1 World Championship is just around the corner.

Stroll to miss the Grand Prix

Late that evening, Aston Martin confirmed that Lance Stroll would miss the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix as he prepared to undergo a medical procedure due to ongoing discomfort in his hand and wrist.

Stroll took part in Qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, finishing the session in 14th place. However, just hours later, the team announced that he would not continue for the remainder of the weekend.

A statement from Aston Martin explained: “Over the course of the past six weeks Lance has been experiencing pain in his hand and wrist, which his medical consultant believes is in relation to the procedure he underwent in 2023.

“As a result his medical team have confirmed that he will not race tomorrow and he will undergo a procedure to rectify these issues before focusing on his recovery.”

2025 Spanish GP Qualifying Results

2025 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying, 31 May 2025.

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Mercedes	1:12.551	1:11.998	1:11.546	14
2	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes	1:12.799	1:12.056	1:11.755	15
3	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	1:12.798	1:12.358	1:11.848	12
4	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:12.806	1:12.407	1:11.848	12
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:13.058	1:12.447	1:12.045	15
6	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:12.815	1:12.585	1:12.111	18
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:13.014	1:12.495	1:12.131	12
8	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault	1:13.081	1:12.611	1:12.199	18
9	6	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT	1:13.139	1:12.461	1:12.252	15
10	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	1:13.102	1:12.523	1:12.284	14
11	23	Alexander Albon	Williams Mercedes	1:13.044	1:12.641		14
12	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber Ferrari	1:13.045	1:12.756		12
13	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT	1:13.039	1:12.763		12
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	1:13.038	1:13.058		15
15	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas Ferrari	1:13.074	1:13.315		15
16	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber Ferrari	1:13.190			6
17	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas Ferrari	1:13.201			9
18	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams Mercedes	1:13.203			6
19	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine Renault	1:13.334			7
20	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	1:13.385			6

2025 Spanish Grand Prix Starting Grid

The Grand Prix starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying session.

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Time
1	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Mercedes	1:11.546
2	4	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes	1:11.755
3	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	1:11.848
4	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:11.848
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:12.045
6	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:12.111
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:12.131
8	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault	1:12.199
9	6	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT	1:12.252
10	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	1:12.284
11	23	Alexander Albon	Williams Mercedes	1:12.641
12	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber Ferrari	1:12.756
13	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT	1:12.763
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	1:13.058
14	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas Ferrari	1:13.315
15	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber Ferrari	1:13.190
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas Ferrari	1:13.201
17	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams Mercedes	1:13.203
18	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine Renault	1:13.334
19	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	1:13.385
Note – Stroll withdrawn due to injury. Tsunoda required to start from the pit lane after car was modified under Parc Ferme conditions.