Lando Norris produced a sensational final lap to beat Max Verstappen to claim his second Formula 1 pole position in a thrilling qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix.
In a session that underscored McLaren’s growth and increasing competition at the top of F1 after two seasons of Verstappen and Red Bull’s dominance, Norris was under pressure at a crucial moment at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to record a “perfect” final lap of 1m 11.383s.
Verstappen held onto the provisional pole position after the first lap of Q3 and then improved by a further 0.2s on his final run, but Norris pulled away just behind to take his second Grand Prix pole, three years after his first at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, by just 0.020s.
Meanwhile, Mercedes was strong throughout the race, improving during the more competitive periods to start the second row exclusively. They finished just 0.3 seconds off pole position.
Lewis Hamilton will start from a season-best third place after outqualifying team-mate George Russell for the second time in 10 races this season.
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George Russell was unhappy with the pace of his teammate Lewis Hamilton during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Mercedes edged out Ferrari by a narrow margin, with Charles Leclerc and local favourite Carlos Sainz starting in fifth and sixth place respectively, and despite showing signs of promise in their upgraded cars, neither Ferrari driver was ultimately a genuine pole contender.
Amazingly, the time difference between the four cars was just 0.035 seconds.
Pierre Gasly finished in an impressive seventh place in a morale-boosting weekend for an ever-improving Alpine, while Esteban Ocon also made it into Q3 in ninth place.
But Sergio Pérez, who hauled Verstappen down the main straight on the final lap to help his teammate secure pole position, could only manage eighth in the second Red Bull car and will drop to 11th on Sunday’s grid because of a three-place penalty carried over from Canada.
This promotes Ocon to eighth place, completing an all-Alpine fourth row, while Piastri, who failed to qualify in the second McLaren and failed to set a time in Q3, moves up to ninth place, and Fernando Alonso, who had a difficult home Grand Prix in an Aston Martin, moves up to 10th place.
Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying: Top 10
1) Lando Norris, McLaren
2) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
4) George Russell, Mercedes
5) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
6) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
7) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
8) Sergio Pérez*, Red Bull
9) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
10) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
*3 Grid penalties will be applied
Norris’ ‘perfect’ lap no one can match Verstappen’s
McLaren’s Saturday began in unexpectedly dramatic fashion with a fire breaking out in the team’s hospitality section in the Barcelona paddock just before final practice.
Norris was one of those quickly evacuated from the temporary building and, as his team members were unable to return afterwards, the Briton and team-mate Oscar Piastri were unable to use the driver’s room and were able to prepare for qualifying in exactly the usual way.
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Evacuations were called in the paddock after a fire broke out in McLaren’s hospitality suite ahead of practice three and qualifying.
Norris gave no indication that the changes to his preparation had a detrimental effect on his on-track performance in the MCL38 car, which was always expected to be better suited to the Spanish circuit’s signature high-speed cornering section.
Norris was fourth-fastest in both Q1 and Q2 but only did one run in each session and, as expected from practice, there appeared to be little separation between the top four teams.
On the first run, Verstappen was again quicker, by 0.123 seconds, but Norris moved into second place just ahead of the Mercedes, suggesting he would be the Dutchman’s closest rival in the decisive final run.
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Lando Norris’ pole lap at the Spanish Grand Prix.
That certainly proved to be the case, as despite the world champion’s best efforts, Norris eventually hustled the car and set a slightly faster time.
“It was an almost perfect lap,” said a smiling 24-year-old driver, who won his first Grand Prix in Miami last month.
“You can tell when you’re doing a good lap you’re excited.
“But in the end, everything worked out perfectly. It was still a close call, but I’m very happy.”
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Zak Brown felt Lando Norris’ pole lap was “amazing” after his McLaren suffered a fire in its motorhome before finishing third.
“I think it was the best pole position I’ve ever had. I don’t get many pole positions but this was the best one I’ve ever had.”
“It’s been close all weekend but it was a really perfect lap and we were able to achieve it today.”
Hamilton again outpaces Russell as Mercedes recovery continues
The spotlight was once again on Mercedes’ on-track improvement after the team was forced to deny wild conspiracy theories at its press conference at the start of the event over claims of driver favouritism.
Hamilton topped Q1 and finished second fastest in Q2, but both results came after a second run in each session, whereas Verstappen and Norris only ran once each.
Still, the small gap to the leader raised hopes that Mercedes might challenge for a second consecutive pole position after Russell’s success in Canada, but as the pace picked up in Q3, Mercedes could not catch the top two.
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Lewis Hamilton reflects on a successful qualifying session after securing third place at the Spanish Grand Prix.
But the session meant it was too late for Hamilton to regain his qualifying form in the head-to-head battle with Mercedes – the only other time he has qualified as Mercedes’ top driver this year was in Japan in April, six races ago.
“For us, being in this position, getting third, fourth and starting to become more consistent in that area, is massive,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
“It’s becoming more and more fun to drive as a race car.
“It’s not that far off. I think it’s three tenths of a second, but the real difference is probably more like one and a half tenths of a second.”
“I think Max is quick, especially on the long runs, I think their car is still ahead and probably Lando’s car too.
“But we’re going to try to win tomorrow.”
Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying Timesheet
Driver Team Time 1) Lando Norris McLaren 1:11.383 2) Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.020 3) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.318 4) George Russell Mercedes +0.320 5) Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.348 6) Carlos Sainz Ferrari +0.353 7) Pierre Gasly Alpine +0.474 8) Sergio Perez Red Bull +0.678 9) Esteban Ocon Alpine +0.742 10) Oscar Piastri McLaren Q3 time not set – eliminated in Q2 11) Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:12.128 12) Valtteri Bottas Sauber 1:12.227 13) Nico Hulkenberg Haas 1:12.310 14) Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:12.372 15) Zhou Guanyu Sauber 1:12.738 Eliminated in Q1 16) Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:12.937 17) Yuki Tsunoda RB 1:12.985 18) Daniel Ricciardo RB 1:13.075 19) Alex Albon Williams 1:13.153 20) Logan Sargent Williams 1:13.509
Sky Sports F1 Spanish Grand Prix Live Schedule
Sunday, June 23
7.45am: F1 Academy Race 2
9am: F3 Feature Race
10:30am: F2 Feature Race
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Preparations for the Spanish Grand Prix
2pm: Spanish Grand Prix
4pm: The chequered flag: Reactions from the Spanish Grand Prix
F1 returns to Europe, with the championship moving to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix and the start of a triple-header. Watch every session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month membership – no contract, cancel anytime
