Norris snatches pole at Spanish GP with stunning final lap

MADRID : Formula One champion Lando Norris produced a stunning final lap to put McLaren on pole position for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit on Saturday.

Norris clocked 1:31.824 to edge Mercedes’ 20-year-old championship leader Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011 of a second and secure his 19th career pole and third of the season.

Max Verstappen was third fastest for Red Bull, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton fourth.

“I’m shocked. I’m a little bit surprised to be here now,” Norris told the crowd after climbing out of his car.

“It was probably one of the best laps I’ve done ever in my career. It was just one of those laps where everything came together.”

With overtaking expected to be difficult in Sunday’s race, pole position could prove particularly valuable at a challenging circuit where the risk of crashes and safety-car interventions remains high.

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella described Norris’s effort as a “masterpiece”, saying the Briton might have gone even faster had he not made a mistake at the final corner.

“It was an incredible lap, one of the best of his life until the last corner,” Stella told Sky Sports. “He realised what was available in the car.”

Norris had been only sixth after the opening flying laps in the final qualifying phase, while Hamilton initially set the pace and appeared on course for his first pole since 2023.

Antonelli then moved to the top of the timesheets, but Norris responded with an inch-perfect lap that skimmed the walls to take pole when it mattered.

“It was one of those laps where you look at the lap time at the end and you’re like, ‘oh shit, that was pretty good’,” Norris said, still celebrating the performance.