16:29
As has often been the case this season, Verstappen has come from seemingly nowhere to secure a top-three grid slot. He is outperforming the Red Bull week in, week out.
Sainz at the Madring
© XPB Images
F1 Madrid LIVE: Qualifying reaction after surprise Norris Spanish GP pole
Live coverage of Saturday at the F1 Spanish Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Norris storms to Madrid pole
- Lewis Hamilton crash brings out red flag
- Leclerc fastest at red flag
The 14th round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Madring becomes F1's newest grand prix venue as it replaces Barcelona as the home of the Spanish Grand Prix. The street track layout features 22 turns packed into a 5.414km distance, with the banked Turn 12 the focal point.
In the lead-up to the weekend, drivers have commented on an expectation of red flags, with many in the lower reaches keen to take advantage of any opportunities that may present themselves.
However, Friday saw only one stoppage, as Arvid Lindblad lost control of his Racing Bulls car at Turn 13 in the second practice session.
Kimi Antonelli arrives at Madrid with an increased 66-point lead in the drivers' championship after taking victory in Monza from 19th place on the grid. This leaves team-mate and primary championship rival George Russell needing to claw back some of the margin this weekend, meaning he may be forced to take some uncomfortable risks.
Mercedes and Ferrari appeared to be the teams with the greatest pace, with McLaren, Red Bull, and Lindblad battling it out behind.
2026 Spanish Grand Prix Saturday schedule
FP3 11:30am BST - 12:30pm BST
Qualifying: 3:00pm BST - 4:00pm BST
12 Sep 2026
16:33
Goodbye!
And with that, it's time to bring the live text to a close. For all the reaction to Norris' stunning pole at Madrid, keep an eye on Crash.net or follow us across social media.
We'll be back again tomorrow ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, and hope you will join us once again.
16:26
Ahead of the final runs, Hamilton was sitting pretty at the top of the times. To be fair though, where the Ferrari pair ended up is not a mile away from where they had been across the weekend to this point. However, that's not going to improve the mood in the garage.
16:21
Penny for the thoughts of George Russell. Last weekend, he started in P2 and was beaten to the win by his team-mate, who had started from P19. This weekend, he starts from P6, while Antonelli is P2.
If his championship hopes were fading before, it's difficult to know where things stand now.
16:15
F1 2026 Spanish Grand Prix: Full qualifying result at Madrid
F1 2026 Spanish Grand Prix: Full qualifying result at Madrid
Lando Norris delivered a surprise lap to take pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix in the first Formula 1 race at the Madring.
McLaren had not featured at the top of the timesheets at any point of the three practice sessions in Madrid, but Norris delivered when it mattered, recovering from a gearbox problem in FP2, to put in a lap that he described as one of the best of his career.
Norris in Madrid
© XPB Images
16:13
Lando Norris beats Kimi Antonelli to surprise first F1 pole at Madrid
Lando Norris beats Kimi Antonelli to surprise first F1 pole at Madrid
Lando Norris pipped Andrea Kimi Antonelli to claim a surprise pole position at Formula 1's first Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.
Reigning world champion Norris came out on top of a tense qualifying at the new Madrid street circuit by just 0.011 seconds from championship leader Antonelli, who had been the favourite to take pole heading into the session after topping two of the three practice sessions.
Lando Norris scored his third pole of the season in Madrid
16:07
Lando Norris confesses that he is "shocked" to have taken pole for the Spanish Grand Prix. He hails it as one of his "best laps" ever.
16:05
What a lap that was, after sitting out all of FP2 with a gearbox problem.
16:01
Verstappen is third. Where did that come from?!?
16:00
BUT WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? LANDO NORRIS TAKES POLE POSITION FOR THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX BY 0.011S!
16:00
Hamilton and Leclerc improve but are second and third. Lawson is fifth.
15:59
Russell is only third...for now.
15:59
But Norris and Lawson are going even faster!
15:59
In the final sector, Antonelli has upped the pace. A 1m31.835s moves Antonelli to provisional pole!
15:58
Hamilton is not improving, but no one so far is going purple.
15:58
Red Bull have played it cool, and Verstappen heads out last, with a big margin to the McLarens ahead. It all comes down to this.
15:57
Here we go. From the wall to pole for Hamilton?
15:56
Out they come. Antonelli leads the pack, and Leclerc is second.
15:55
Leclerc has told Ferrari to get him out ahead of the traffic. He does not want to risk being caught out by yellow or red flags.
15:52
After the first runs, the order is:
- Hamilton
- Antonelli
- Russell
- Leclerc
- Verstappe
- Norris
- Piastri
- Lawson
- Colapinto
- Lindblad
15:52
Hold the phone! Hamilton has arrived and puts in a 1m32.079s effort to go to the top! Ferrari had three sets of new soft tyres for Q3, so the Scuderia are in a very strong position.
15:51
Antonelli puts in a 1m32.140s to open things in Q3. That's the fastest time of the weekend. and Russell is just fractionally behind.
15:50
Here come the times, as Norris gets a black and white flag for failing to follow the race directors' instructions.
15:48
Q3 begins
Q3 begins. And just as Ipswich scored against Crystal Palace as Q2 began, they've done it again for Q3.
Anyway, back to the action from the Madring.
15:46
He may be in Q3, but Norris is being looked at for pit lane speeding. That's usually a straight fine in a qualifying session.