2026 Spanish GP Qualifying: Lando Secures First-Ever Pole at Madring

Lando Norris secured the first Formula 1 pole position in the history of the Madring with a spectacular last-gasp lap, beating Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011s at the end of a remarkably close qualifying session.

The reigning World Champion stopped the clock at 1m 31.824s to claim his third pole of the season and the 19th of his Formula 1 career. Antonelli had looked set to continue his control of the Madrid weekend, but Norris found the time when the circuit was at its fastest to seize the most important starting position at a track where overtaking is expected to be difficult.

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Max Verstappen put Red Bull third with a 1m 31.964s, leaving him 0.140s away from pole and alongside Lewis Hamilton on the second row. Hamilton had led after the opening Q3 attempts but slipped to fourth when the final improvements arrived. Charles Leclerc qualified fifth for Ferrari, only 0.006s behind his team mate, while George Russell completed the top six in the second Mercedes.

2026 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying Results

2026 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying, 12 September 2026

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:33.469	1:32.873	1:31.824	19
2	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:33.267	1:32.591	1:31.835	20
3	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:33.381	1:32.431	1:31.964	18
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:33.531	1:32.710	1:32.013	21
5	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:33.532	1:32.755	1:32.019	21
6	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:33.211	1:32.850	1:32.149	22
7	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:33.829	1:33.204	1:32.294	22
8	30	Liam Lawson	Red Bull Racing	1:33.310	1:32.780	1:32.316	18
9	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:33.963	1:33.038	1:32.903	17
10	41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	1:34.340	1:33.204	1:33.041	21
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	1:34.417	1:33.223		13
12	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	1:33.986	1:33.388		12
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	1:34.667	1:33.667		11
14	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:34.246	1:33.753		11
15	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Racing Bulls	1:34.311	1:34.084		15
16	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:35.307	1:35.532		14
17	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:35.312			9
18	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:35.388			9
19	11	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	1:35.913			9
20	77	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	1:38.011			8

Norris delivers at the final opportunity

Norris arrived in qualifying with less preparation than many of his rivals after a gearbox change prevented him from setting a representative time during FP2. McLaren recovered strongly in FP3, however, and Norris carried that momentum into the decisive session.

Antonelli remained one of the leading contenders after setting the pace in both FP2 and FP3. The Mercedes driver briefly held the advantage during the final Q3 runs, only for Norris to produce a near-perfect response under maximum pressure.

The McLaren driver’s 1m 31.824s was enough to defeat Antonelli’s 1m 31.835s by eleven thousandths of a second. It was a result that added another layer to the 2026 F1 World Championship battle, with championship leader Antonelli starting alongside the driver who entered the Madrid weekend 96 points behind him.

Verstappen also threatened the front row but ultimately settled for third after recording a 1m 31.964s. Hamilton’s 1m 32.013s placed him fourth, an encouraging recovery after his FP3 crash at the final corner had cost him much of the last practice session.

Leclerc followed with a 1m 32.019s, putting the two Ferraris just 0.006s apart. Russell was sixth in the other Mercedes after failing to reproduce the pace that had taken him to the top of FP1 on Friday.

Piastri trails as Lawson and Colapinto reach Q3

Oscar Piastri endured another frustrating qualifying deficit to Norris, finishing seventh in the second McLaren. Although the Australian reached Q3, he was unable to join his team mate in the battle for the front two rows.

Liam Lawson produced an impressive performance to take eighth, placing himself ahead of Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad. Colapinto’s ninth position gave Alpine a valuable place inside the top 10, while Lindblad recovered from his FP2 accident to reach the final phase and qualify 10th for Racing Bulls.

Lindblad’s appearance in Q3 completed a strong turnaround after he became the first Formula 1 driver to crash at the new circuit on Friday. His team repaired the car in time for Saturday, allowing him to return and convert his earlier pace into a place on the fifth row.

Audi narrowly misses the final shootout

Audi had featured prominently during practice but could not carry both cars into Q3. Nico Hulkenberg was the quickest of the eliminated drivers in 11th, placing him directly ahead of team mate Gabriel Bortoleto in 12th.

Esteban Ocon won the intra-team battle at Haas to qualify 13th, beating fellow Frenchman and surprise Monza pole-sitter Pierre Gasly. The Alpine driver took 14th, with Yuki Tsunoda placing his Racing Bulls 15th.

Alex Albon was the leading Williams driver in 16th, but the session proved considerably more difficult for team mate Carlos Sainz.

Home favourites eliminated in Q1

The first Madring qualifying session delivered little for the Spanish crowd to celebrate as both Sainz and Fernando Alonso were knocked out during the opening phase.

Sainz qualified 17th for Williams and was also due to be investigated over an alleged impeding incident involving Valtteri Bottas. Alonso could manage only 18th for Aston Martin, bringing an early end to his first qualifying appearance at his new home venue.

Sergio Perez took 19th for Cadillac, with team mate Bottas classified 20th after the incident involving Sainz. The stewards’ investigation left the possibility of a further change to the lower section of the starting order.

Two drivers were unable to record a lap. Haas could not repair Ollie Bearman’s car in time after his heavy Turn 11 crash at the end of FP3, leaving the Briton 21st without taking to the circuit.

Lance Stroll was also confined to the garage and classified 22nd. Aston Martin suspected a water-pressure problem on his car, preventing the Canadian from participating and completing a difficult qualifying session for the team.

At the front, only 0.195s separated Norris in first from Leclerc in fifth, leaving four teams represented across the opening three rows. Norris claimed the historic headline, but with Antonelli, Verstappen, Hamilton and Leclerc all within two tenths, the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring remained finely poised.