– The first Formula 1 qualifying on the brand-new Madring at the trade fair grounds in Madrid ended with a surprise: Not the top favorite Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes secured the pole position for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix, but Lando Norris (McLaren), whom only a few experts had on their radar after the free practice sessions.
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In the first run, it initially looked like another surprise: Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) set a time of 1:32.079 minutes and led by 0.061 seconds ahead of Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) and 0.186 seconds ahead of George Russell (Mercedes). “That was a nice, strong lap,” praised Formula 1 expert Alexander Wurz in the live broadcast of ORF. “We know Lewis can do that. But the car also seems capable.” Even after the crash in the final practice.
An exciting second run was set anyway, because between Hamilton (P1) and Liam Lawson (P8) there were only 0.554 seconds. Wurz looked forward to the big finale: “Now it’s all about maximum risk. Now there’s no holding back anymore.”
Especially not for Antonelli: Absolute best time in the first, personal best time in the second sector – and in the end a new provisional lead in 1:31.835 minutes. When everything already smelled like the expected Mercedes pole, Norris came almost out of nowhere: 1:31.824 minutes – and thus starting position 1 for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix!
Norris was enthusiastic: “I’m surprised. That was one of the best laps I’ve ever driven. I’m overjoyed. It was one of those laps where you look at the time at the end and then think: ‘Damn, that was really good!'”
Wurz could only marvel at this performance: “Strong. Sensational how much risk Norris took there. With a car that is not as fast as the competition. He squeezed out a mega lap from himself and the McLaren today.”
Norris explains: “There were a few corners where I knew exactly what I had to do and where the limit was. I just never executed it properly. But then I managed the perfect lap. My feet did exactly what they were supposed to do. I hit every corner exactly as I had planned.”
The reigning world champion entered the last corner with a lead but slid outwards there – and even slightly touched the track boundary. “I thought that was it, now I’m stuck in the wall,” he recalls. A mistake that, according to Andrea Stella, cost “three tenths of a second.” All the more, the lap until then was “a masterpiece,” emphasizes the McLaren team principal.
When Norris crossed the line, there was a brief moment of suspense until Max Verstappen (Red Bull) finished his lap. But Verstappen was 0.140 seconds slower and took third place behind Norris and Antonelli.
For the four-time world champion, a result he can accept: “I haven’t been in the top 3 often this year. It was a good qualifying. Only in the third sector do we not manage the deployment as well as our competitors.”
Hamilton was fourth, Charles Leclerc (both Ferrari) fifth, and Russell sixth. A disappointment for the Mercedes driver: “George,” says team principal Toto Wolff in an interview with Sky, “never really had enough confidence. They also changed the setup during the session. Strange, because before that he was there.”
Oscar Piastri (7th/McLaren), Liam Lawson (Red Bull), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), and Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) completed the top 10.
On the topic:
Result: Qualifying Spanish GP 2026, Madrid
Starting grid Spanish GP 2026, Madrid
F1 ticker: Paddock live with Ruben Zimmermann
F1 livestream Madrid: Analysis on YouTube (9 PM)
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Q1: Scary moments for Antonelli and Russell
For the two Mercedes drivers, Madring qualifying in Q1 began with some scary moments. Antonelli slid into the runoff area at turn 17 but was able to avoid a crash – whereas Russell was carried too far outside between turns 20 and 21 and touched the wall. “If we’re safe, we should come to the pits to check the car,” he radioed.
And both Mercedes were safe but did not rely on it: Antonelli improved from 1:33.566 to 1:33.267 minutes and secured second place, Russell from 1:33.594 to 1:33.211 minutes – and was even the fastest. Third in Q1 was surprisingly Lawson (+0.099), but the important thing at the start was only to make the top-16 cut.
Ironically, the two home stars did not manage this: Carlos Sainz (Williams), official ambassador of the Madring, was 0.005 seconds slower than his teammate Alexander Albon and narrowly failed as Q1-17th, while Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) was eliminated in 18th.
Oliver Bearman (Haas) and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) did not set a Q1 time. Bearman’s chassis could not be repaired in time after his crash in the final practice, while Stroll had a problem with the water pressure. Additionally, the Canadian must start the Grand Prix on Sunday from the very back of the grid due to a power unit change.
Q2: It looked so good for Hülkenberg …
In the first Q2 run, Verstappen initially made a statement: He undercut the best times of the Mercedes duo so far and took first place with 1:32.557 minutes. The Alpines, on the other hand, had aborted their first fast lap and were therefore the only participants without a time at halfway.
Q2 went unfortunately for Nico Hülkenberg (Audi): After the first run, he was still in 9th place, seemingly safe 0.236 seconds ahead of Lindblad. But both Colapinto and Lindblad improved significantly in the second run, and in the end, Hülkenberg missed out by 0.019 seconds. That meant the unfortunate eleventh place, 0.165 seconds ahead of teammate Gabriel Bortoleto.
Pierre Gasly in the second Alpine was annoyed: The polesitter from Monza lost more than half a second to Colapinto in the last sector and was eliminated in 14th. “No grip,” he complained on the radio, and: Compared to the final practice, the car was unrecognizable.
Esteban Ocon (Haas) took 13th place, Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) was 15th, and Albon 16th. At the top, Verstappen was able to improve the best time again. He finished Q2 ahead of Antonelli, Hamilton, Leclerc, and Lawson. The favorite role for Mercedes no longer looked as clear as after the free practice sessions.
Formula 1 Madrid schedule: What’s next?
Madrid is the last race weekend of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship on European soil. Afterwards, the season continues with round 15 at the street circuit in Baku (Azerbaijan). The last two races of the season in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are still officially on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar but are uncertain due to the military situation in the Middle East.
The race in Madrid starts on Sunday at 3:00 PM CEST. The race will be broadcast live on Sky (Germany), ORF (Austria), and SRF (Switzerland) (Here is the complete TV overview for Formula 1 in Madrid!).
The usual Formula 1 livestreams can be followed by fans on Saturday and Sunday evenings on the YouTube channel of Formel1.de. With a summary of the events and analyses far beyond the end of the TV broadcasts. Host Kevin Scheuren presents the streams again with editor-in-chief Christian Nimmervoll as expert.
The provisional start time of the livestreams on Saturday and Sunday is set for 9:00 PM CEST.
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