Lando Norris came from nowhere to edge out championship leader Kimi Antonelli and take a brilliant pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix.
World champion Norris had not troubled the top of the timesheets at any stage across the weekend in Madrid, but he pulled out a magical lap – one the British driver proclaimed as one of the best of his career – to see off Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds.
Max Verstappen will start from third place for the inaugural event at the Madring, a spot ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who at one stage looked set to land his first pole in Ferrari colours. George Russell, the nearest title challenger to Antonelli, will start a disappointing sixth.
Norris raised hope of defending his world crown with successive wins in Hungary and then the Netherlands, but a fourth place last time out in Monza leaves him 96 points adrift of Antonelli in the standings.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Spanish Grand Prix.
What is the starting grid?
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
6. George Russell (Mercedes)
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
8. Liam Lawson (Red Bull)
9. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
10. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
11. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
12. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
13. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
14. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
15. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)
16. Alex Albon (Williams)
17. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
18. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
19. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
20. Carlos Sainz (Williams)*
21. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
*Sainz was given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Bottas in qualifying
When is the Spanish Grand Prix?
Times BST
Sunday 13 September
- Race: 2pm
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Spanish Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 12:30pm (BST).
Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action from Madrid on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
In the United States, every practice, qualifying and race session is streamed on Apple TV this year. You can stream Apple TV for FREE, with Apple TV’s seven-day free trial.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch, then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help.
Driver standings ahead of Spanish GP
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 267 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 201 points
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 191 points
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 171 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 155 points
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 127 points
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 115 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 71 points
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 51 points
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 41 points
11. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) - 29 points
12. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) - 21 points
13. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 18 points
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) - 10 points
15. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) - 6 points
16. Carlos Sainz (Williams) - 6 points
17. Alex Albon (Williams) - 5 points
18. Esteban Ocon (Haas) - 3 points
19. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 3 points
20. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) - 1 point
21. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 0 points
22. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) - 0 points
23. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) - 0 points
Constructor standings ahead of Spanish GP
1. Mercedes - 468 points
2. Ferrari - 346 points
3. McLaren - 287 points
4. Red Bull - 204 points
5. Racing Bulls - 75 points
6. Alpine - 62 points
7. Haas - 21 points
8. Audi - 16 points
9. Williams - 11 points
10. Aston Martin - 3 points
11. Cadillac - 0 points
What is the 2026 race calendar?
ROUND 14 - SPAIN (Madrid)
Circuito de Madring - 11-13 September
ROUND 15 - AZERBAIJAN
Baku City Circuit - 25-27 September
ROUND 16 - MALAYSIA/BAHRAIN
Sepang International Circuit - 2-4 October
ROUND 17 - SINGAPORE (sprint weekend)
Marina Bay Street Circuit - 9-11 October
ROUND 18 - UNITED STATES
Circuit of the Americas, Austin - 23-25 October
ROUND 19 - MEXICO
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City - 30 October-1 November
ROUND 20 - BRAZIL
Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo - 6-8 November
ROUND 21 - LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas Street Circuit - 19-21 November
ROUND 22 - QATAR
Lusail International Circuit - 27-29 November
ROUND 23 - ABU DHABI
Yas Marina Circuit - 4-6 December
Read MoreLewis Hamilton makes feelings clear on Ferrari’s ‘no rules’ outlook
How Kimi Antonelli manifested his inner Max Verstappen to reveal a new F1 reality
Lewis Hamilton concedes 2026 F1 title after Italian Grand Prix: ‘It’s too late’
F1 live streams: Link to watch Madrid GP race online
F1 Spanish GP LIVE: Race start time, schedule and grid with Norris on Madrid pole
One of the best laps of my career – Lando Norris delighted with Spanish pole
