Spanish Grand Prix

Spanish Grand Prix: Qualifying LIVE from 4pm

Lando Norris

(Bild: AFP)

Small surprise in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix: In Barcelona, McLaren driver Lando Norris secured pole position with a lap time of 1:11.383 minutes, 0.020 seconds ahead of Red Bull's world champion hero Max Verstappen! The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton (+0.318) and George Russell (+0.320) will follow behind in the tenth race of the season on Sunday (3pm).

"It was a perfect lap. I'm very happy, I haven't had many pole positions yet," said the 24-year-old Norris, who is starting at the front for only the second time after Russia 2021. "It's going to be a tough one, but we're here to win now," he announced. Verstappen was initially ahead in Q3 before Norris overtook him. "Practice was difficult, but I felt good in qualifying and still had slipstream from Checo (Perez, ed.). I'm very happy with the front row," said last year's winner.

"The car is slowly becoming a racing machine!"
None of the big teams made a mistake in qualifying, with the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc (+0.348) and Carlos Sainz (+0.353) behind the Mercedes duo on the second row. Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull had to settle for eighth place (+0.678). "I wasn't expecting pole. But I'm very grateful to be third here," said record world champion Hamilton. "The car is slowly becoming a racing machine. Maybe we can put some pressure on it tomorrow."

Here are the final results:

Firefight in the paddock
Before the final practice session in the morning, a fire in the paddock triggered a fire department operation. In the McLaren motorhome, where team members, guests and drivers are usually catered for, there was a lot of smoke including an acrid plastic smell. As the British racing team announced during the qualifying session, one employee was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure. There are said to have been no serious injuries. In the end, the McLaren employees were able to cheer after all.

After his latest victory in Canada, Verstappen has a lead of 31 points over Leclerc in the championship standings with 169 points. Norris is third, 56 points behind the triple world champion. Next weekend, Formula 1 will be a guest at Spielberg in Styria.