Norris takes historic Spanish GP pole as Bortoleto grabs 12th

Lando Norris secured pole position for McLaren at the newly opened Madring circuit on 12 September 2026, setting a benchmark time of 1m31s824 during the Spanish Grand Prix qualifying session. Defending world champion Norris edged out Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen to collect his third pole of the campaign. Gabriel Bortoleto placed 12th.

The Spanish Grand Prix begins at 10:00 local time on 13 September 2026.

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LANDO NORRIS IS ON POLE IN MADRID! 👏🥇

WHAT A LAP! 😱#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/pmai9Fir2p

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 12, 2026

Norris reached 19 career pole positions following previous 2026 qualifying victories in Hungary and the Netherlands. The McLaren driver holds 13 career victories, having converted both of his prior poles this year into race wins before Pierre Gasly broke his qualifying streak at Monza.

Bortoleto demonstrated solid initial pace but lost momentum during the second qualifying phase, dropping out of contention in 12th position. The Brazilian lines up alongside Audi teammate Nico Hulkenberg on the grid. Hulkenberg outqualified Bortoleto for the seventh time in 14 rounds in 2026.

Constructed around the IFEMA Madrid exhibition complex in the capital district of Barajas, the semi-permanent venue took over hosting duties for the Spanish Grand Prix after the event spent more than three decades at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Mercedes set the early pace during the opening stage while running on scrubbed soft tires. Verstappen gained speed in the intermediate phase to lead Antonelli by a tenth of a second before Norris captured provisional pole in the dying moments of the shootout. The session concluded with rapid shifts across the top order.

Learn more: McLaren’s Lando Norris sets the fastest time in Barcelona training and Gabriel Bortoleto finishes eighth

Verstappen aborted his push for pole after an untidy final sector and will share row two with Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari driver still seeks his first Grand Prix win of the 2026 season.

Russell leads opening segment as initial group exits

Antonelli established the early benchmark on scrubbed soft compound tires before Lawson, Verstappen, Hamilton, and Leclerc posted faster times on mediums. The Italian driver responded immediately during the final minute of the phase to reclaim the top spot. Russell then went quicker by 0s056 on used softs.

Bortoleto opened his running with a lap that ranked fifth and remained sufficient to carry him into the next stage. Bortoleto advanced in tenth place.

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• 17th Carlos Sainz (Williams)
• 18th Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
• 19th Sergio Pérez (Cadillac)
• 20th Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
• 21st Oliver Bearman (Haas)
• 22nd Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

Verstappen controls second phase while Audi drivers miss top ten

Antonelli returned to the top of the sheets at the start of the intermediate segment. Russell trailed his teammate by two tenths before Verstappen moved into first place with a 0s046 cushion. Hamilton led the Ferrari effort in third place after the Italian team completed secondary flying laps.

Verstappen improved on his final effort to extend his advantage over Antonelli to 0s1. Bortoleto sat 11th after an imperfect run, returning on fresh soft rubber with two minutes left but finishing 12th behind Hulkenberg.

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• 11th Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
• 12th Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
• 13th Esteban Ocon (Haas)
• 14th Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
• 15th Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)
• 16th Alexander Albon (Williams)

Late flying laps seal narrow front row shootout

Antonelli maintained his lead through the opening runs of the top-ten shootout against Russell, Leclerc, and Norris. Hamilton moved ahead of Antonelli by 0s061 before teams queued in pit lane for final tire changes. Race stewards noted an incident when Lindblad exited the Racing Bulls garage rapidly, prompting Leclerc to swerve in the pit lane.

Antonelli completed his decisive lap first to jump back to provisional pole. Leclerc took second place before Hamilton reclaimed a front-row spot.

Norris responded with a lap that beat Antonelli by 0s011 to take provisional pole. Verstappen could not match the pace in the closing sectors. The Red Bull driver settled for third on the grid.