Norris Snatches Spanish GP Pole from Verstappen in Thrilling Qualifying Showdown

McLaren‘s Lando Norris clinched a dramatic pole position at the Spanish Grand Prix after edging out Red Bull‘s Max Verstappen by a razor-thin margin in a thrilling qualifying session.

Norris, a two-time pole winner, faced tough competition from Verstappen who initially held the top spot but was outpaced by Norris on a thrilling final lap.

Mercedes showcased improved performance, locking out the second row with Lewis Hamilton in P3 and George Russell in P4 for the race grid.

Charles Leclerc and hometown hero Carlos Sainz secured fifth and sixth positions, underscoring the fierce competition in qualifying around Barcelona’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Pierre Gasly delivered a standout performance for Alpine, claiming the seventh spot on the grid, followed by Red Bull’s Sergio Perez who picked up P8 but with a three-place penalty to be applied from the Canadian GP.

Esteban Ocon of Alpine moved up to P9, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri rounded off the top 10, despite a challenging Q3 outing that saw him missing a timed lap.

The nail-biting qualifying session left the home-favorite Fernando Alonso just shy of the top-10 shootout, knocked out alongside Aston Martin‘s Valtteri Bottas and Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu. Also caught in the Q2 exit were Haas‘ Nico Hulkenberg and Lance Stroll from Aston Martin.

At the tail end of the grid, Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo of McLaren struggled to find pace, finishing in 17th and 18th places, while Williams‘ Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant languished at the bottom of the qualifying results.

The Spanish Grand Prix qualifying drama set the stage for an intense race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Norris leading the charge and Verstappen close behind on the starting grid.