Norris beats Verstappen and secures pole in thrilling Spanish GP qualifying
BARCELONA, Spain — Lando Norris of McLaren clinched the second pole position of his Formula 1 career in a gripping qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix, edging out Red Bull's Max Verstappen in a dramatic finish.
In a remarkable performance, Norris clocked a final lap time of 1m 11.383s, outpacing Verstappen by just two hundredths of a second. This marks Norris's first pole since his achievement at the Sochi Autodrom in 2021.
Mercedes showcased their formidable practice pace, translating it into a competitive qualifying result. Lewis Hamilton triumphed over teammate George Russell to secure P3, while Russell settled for P4 on the grid for Sunday's race.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and local hero Carlos Sainz took fifth and sixth places, respectively, in what was a particularly tight session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Alpine's Pierre Gasly impressed with a P7 finish.
Sergio Perez managed eighth in his Red Bull, but will face a three-place grid penalty from Canada, elevating Alpine's Esteban Ocon and McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who endured a difficult Q3 with no logged time.
Read next ❯ Ferrari to reveal Hamilton's debut F1 car on February 19 at MaranelloFernando Alonso, racing on home soil, narrowly missed out on a Q3 spot, falling just a couple of hundredths of a second short and landing in the Q2 drop zone after being displaced by Ocon, his former teammate.
The Q2 drop zone also saw Alfa Romeo Sauber drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in P12 and P15, respectively, with Haas's Nico Hulkenberg and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll sandwiched between them.
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen finished in P16, just missing out on advancing to Q2, impeded by Williams' Logan Sargeant in the Q1 phase.
AlphaTauri aimed to solidify their strong midfield position with a raft of updates this weekend, but their struggles continued into qualifying, relegating Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo to a disappointing P17 and P18.
Williams endured one of their most challenging sessions of the season, with Alex Albon and Sargeant anchoring the rear of the grid. They'll face a significant uphill battle to add any points on race day.
