Norris took Madrid pole from Antonelli by 0.011 seconds
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 12, 2026
Norris pole lap
Lando Norris grabbed pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix at Madrid’s new Madring circuit with a lap of 1:31.824, edging Kimi Antonelli by 0.011 seconds. The McLaren driver said he was shocked by the result and viewed the effort as one of the best laps of his career. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella backed that view, calling the lap “a masterpiece.” Norris also said he nearly hit the wall at the final corner and lost more than 0.3 seconds. Even with that mistake, he still topped the session and secured his third pole of the season and the 19th pole of his Formula 1 career. The result carried extra weight because Norris missed most of Friday practice after a gearbox issue, yet he still found the pace when it counted. That made the pole stand out even more on a circuit where qualifying was expected to be especially important. Norris made the most of the lap that mattered and finished qualifying on top.
Antonelli front row
Antonelli qualified second and will line up alongside Norris on the front row for Mercedes. The result gave Mercedes a strong starting position behind the pole sitter and kept Antonelli within striking distance of the lead at the launch. He had enough pace to land close to Norris, but the margin left him with the second spot and a clear task for race day. Max Verstappen qualified third, giving Red Bull a place on the second row and keeping him in the mix if strategy or tire wear reshuffled the order. Lewis Hamilton took fourth, with Charles Leclerc fifth, and both Ferrari drivers left qualifying with solid positions in the top five. George Russell qualified sixth and Oscar Piastri was seventh, adding more depth to the front group and setting up a tight contest among the leading teams. The order at the sharp end matters even more at Madring because the circuit was expected to make passing difficult. That meant every position gained in qualifying could pay off on Sunday, and every mistake could prove costly. The starting grid also showed how close the top end of Formula 1 has become. Norris held the edge, but the front row featured a small gap and a long list of contenders right behind him.
Madrid grid
Carlos Sainz received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Valtteri Bottas and dropped to 20th on the grid, a major setback that changed the back end of the starting order. The penalty left him deep in the order and added another complication to the qualifying results. Tire degradation and strategy were expected to play a major role in Sunday’s race, making decisions as important as raw speed. Norris owns pole, but the expected importance of tire wear and strategy could still affect the order. Sainz was left to recover from deep in the field. The focus now turns to how the race unfolds after qualifying put Norris at the top.
