Marco Rossi · F1-Korrespondent
Eleven thousandths of a second decided the pole position at Formula 1's first-ever weekend on the newly built Madrid street circuit, and it was Lando Norris who secured it after a frustrating training day.
Lando Norris claimed pole position on Saturday for the Spanish Grand Prix, Formula 1's inaugural race on the brand-new Madrid street circuit. With a time of 1:31.824, the McLaren driver left Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes just 0.011 seconds behind, the smallest margin of any qualifying session this season. For Norris, it was a response to a Friday he'd rather forget: a gearbox issue had cost him nearly all of the second practice session, and even in third practice, he could only manage fourth place behind Antonelli, Leclerc, and teammate Piastri.
Eleven Thousandths as an Answer
Anyone following the three practice sessions would have struggled to imagine pole position going to Norris. Mercedes and Ferrari had held the best lap times throughout much of the weekend with Antonelli, Leclerc, and Hamilton, while the McLaren driver lost practically all running in FP2 due to gearbox damage and finished fourth in FP3. That he nonetheless managed the fastest lap of the entire weekend in the decisive Q3 moment speaks to his ability to deliver under pressure precisely when it matters most.
Antonelli remained undeterred and stayed within those eleven thousandths, a result that underscores his form so far this season. The Mercedes rookie leads the driver standings, and a starting position within striking distance of pole fits that narrative. Verstappen rounded out the top three and remains a championship factor, even if his 0.140-second gap to Norris suggests Red Bull didn't have the quickest package this weekend.
Ferrari Locked Together, Lawson and Colapinto as Outliers
Behind the top three, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc lined up fourth and fifth, separated by just six thousandths of a second. For Hamilton, who has shown throughout this season he's comfortable in the car, fourth on the grid is solid ground to target a podium, even if the front row slipped away. George Russell claimed sixth, directly ahead of Oscar Piastri, who found himself in seventh as Norris's teammate.
Noteworthy were the performances of Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto, who landed in eighth and ninth positions well ahead of where the midfield pack was expected to fill. For Colapinto, fighting for his Alpine seat, this qualifying performance should serve as a strong argument for his place in the grid. Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top ten and confirmed his solid form over the past several weekends.
Disappointment in Front of Home Crowds, Concerns for Bearman
The afternoon proved far less rewarding for Spain's two drivers. Carlos Sainz was eliminated in the Williams as 17th already in Q1, while Fernando Alonso had to settle for 18th on the grid, both performing in front of their home crowd on a completely new track in their own country. For Alonso, whose career has increasingly found him in the rear of the field in recent years, it's further evidence of how much Aston Martin is struggling, while Sainz is fighting to keep Williams competitive in the midfield.
Oliver Bearman was absent from qualifying after a heavy crash late in the third free practice session left his Haas too damaged to repair in time. The paddock will watch closely on Sunday to see what condition the British driver is in for the start, should his car even be ready to race.
Formula 1's maiden event on Madrid's new street circuit has begun with one of the tightest qualifying sessions of the season, and the track's characteristics, narrow with few runoff areas, promises plenty for Sunday's race. Overtaking will be risky here, safety car periods seem all but inevitable on a new, untested layout, and Norris will need to convert his razor-thin pole into a start that doesn't immediately slip away.
