McLaren’s Lando Norris stunned spectators by clinching pole position at the inaugural 2026 Spanish Grand Prix held at the Madring Circuit in Madrid. His final qualifying lap time of 1:31.824 narrowly edged out Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, the current championship leader, by just 0.011 seconds. Norris described his lap as possibly the best of his career, expressing pride and gratitude to his team for a near-perfect execution.

The qualifying session saw Red Bull’s Max Verstappen put in the third-best time, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc secured the fourth and fifth spots respectively. Mercedes’ George Russell managed only sixth place, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took seventh. Liam Lawson, standing in for injured Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar, qualified eighth, with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad rounding out the top ten on the grid.

Several penalties affected the starting positions, notably Carlos Sainz of Williams who received a three-place grid drop for obstructing Valtteri Bottas, forcing him to start from 20th place at his home race. Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Cadillac’s Sergio Perez and Bottas benefited from these adjustments by moving up the order. Lance Stroll, who failed to set a qualifying time, faced a substantial 40-place grid penalty for exceeding his power unit element allocation.

Sunday’s race at the Madring Circuit is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. local time (CEST) on September 13, 2026. Fans can expect a fiercely competitive showdown as the championship leaders and emerging talents battle for position on this new F1 track. This first-ever Spanish GP in Madrid marks a significant milestone in the 2026 Formula 1 season, promising high stakes and thrilling racing action.