Norris stuns Antonelli and Verstappen to take first-ever Madrid pole

Q1 saw Kimi Antonelli set the pace, with the Mercedes driver topping the session with a 1:33.267. The margins at the front were incredibly tight, however, with Liam Lawson just 0.043s behind and Max Verstappen only 0.071s away from the benchmark. Lando Norris followed in fourth, while Lewis Hamilton made an impressive return to the track after his FP3 crash, with Ferrari completing the repairs to his SF-26 in time for qualifying.

The seven-time world champion immediately showed competitive pace by taking fifth, just 0.264s off Antonelli, and one thousandth ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. George Russell took seventh ahead of Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto, who completed the top 10.

Further down the order, Pierre Gasly progressed in 11th ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, Arvid Lindblad, Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon, with the Haas driver taking the final place in Q2. Alexander Albon narrowly missed out in 16th, while Carlos Sainz was eliminated by just 0.005s in 17th. Fernando Alonso and the two Cadillac drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas were also knocked out, with Bottas finishing 4.744s off Antonelli’s pace. Oliver Bearman did not take part in the session following his FP3 crash, while Lance Stroll also failed to set a lap time.

Q2 saw Max Verstappen send a clear warning to Mercedes, with the Red Bull driver producing a 1:32.431 to take the fastest time and beat Antonelli by 0.160s. Hamilton continued his strong recovery from the FP3 crash by taking third, 0.279s off the pace and just ahead of Leclerc, while Lawson impressed again in fifth. Russell could only manage sixth, 0.419s behind Verstappen, followed by Norris, Colapinto, Piastri and Lindblad, with the latter two setting identical 1:33.204 laps to secure the final places in Q3.

Hulkenberg narrowly missed out on a place in the final shootout, finishing 11th and just 0.019s behind Lindblad and Piastri. Bortoleto followed in 12th ahead of Ocon, Gasly and Tsunoda, while Albon finished 16th after ending the session 3.101s away from Verstappen’s benchmark.

The first runs of Q3 saw a resurgent Lewis Hamilton deliver when it mattered most, with the Ferrari driver setting a 1:32.079 to take provisional pole position. Antonelli slotted into second, just 0.061s behind, while Russell was third at 0.186s from Hamilton. Leclerc put the second Ferrari fourth, only 0.020s behind Russell, with Verstappen fifth and 0.254s off the benchmark. Norris and Piastri followed in sixth and seventh respectively, leaving everything still to play for ahead of the final runs.

The final runs produced a surprise at the very top, as Lando Norris delivered a stunning 1:31.824 to snatch pole position by just 0.011s from Antonelli. Verstappen secured third, 0.140s off the pace, while Hamilton was pushed down to fourth despite his earlier provisional pole, finishing just ahead of Leclerc in fifth. Russell could only manage sixth, with Piastri seventh ahead of Lawson, Colapinto and Lindblad, who completed the top 10.