Lando Norris secures pole position for the F1 Spanish Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen.
Lando Norris edged out Max Verstappen to claim pole position in a thrilling qualifying session at the F1 Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen seemed poised to secure his eighth pole in 10 races after setting a blistering pace in the first runs of Q3, but Norris pulled off a brilliant lap at the very end, narrowly beating the reigning world champion by just 0.020 seconds.
This marks the 24-year-old Briton’s second career F1 pole, and he will be aiming to convert it into his second victory following his maiden triumph in Miami.
“It was pretty much a perfect lap,” Norris said in parc ferme. “You know when you are on a good lap and you are getting excited.
“But the whole thing went perfectly in the end. Close still, but super happy.
“I would say my best pole position. I have not had many, but of the ones I have had, this is my best.
“It has been close all weekend, but really it was about a perfect lap, and that is what I did today.”
Lewis Hamilton achieved his best qualifying result of 2024 so far by securing third place, 0.320 seconds behind Norris, as he outpaced Mercedes teammate George Russell for only the second time this season.
Charles Leclerc narrowly edged out Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz for fifth on the grid by a mere 0.005 seconds, while Pierre Gasly delivered an impressive lap to place his Alpine in seventh position.
Sergio Perez of Red Bull could manage only eighth place, but due to a penalty, he will start 11th for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Esteban Ocon took ninth place in the other Alpine, while Oscar Piastri settled for 10th after his final lap in Q3 was compromised by a trip through the gravel in his McLaren.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso missed out on Q3 and settled for the 11th fastest time, while Valtteri Bottas secured a solid 12th place for Sauber.
Nico Hulkenberg of Haas qualified 13th, ahead of Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin and Zhou Guanyu of Sauber, who took 14th and 15th positions respectively.
Kevin Magnussen narrowly missed advancing to Q2, finishing 16th in his Haas, followed by Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo in 17th and 18th places, despite Red Bull’s upgrades for the weekend.
The Williams duo of Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant posted the slowest times, rounding out the grid in 19th and 20th positions respectively.