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.
Follow live updates from the Spanish Grand Prix with The Independent
Read MoreGeorge Russell warns of dangers at Madrid F1 circuit: ‘Less margin than Monaco’
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Welcome to the ‘car-killer’ Madring: F1’s ‘craziest circuit’ debuts as drivers warn of big crashes
F1 SPANISH GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- The race on Sunday is at 2pm (BST)
- Lando Norris claimed pole in Madrid; Antonelli 2nd; Verstappen 3rd
- Lewis Hamilton and Ollie Bearman crashed out of final practice
- Kimi Antonelli leads the world championship by 66 points over George Russell
- PREVIEW: Welcome to the Madring - the 'car-killer' circuit
What time is the race?
16:30 , Kieran JacksonThe Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid starts at 2pm BST.
George Russell warns of dangers at Madrid F1 circuit: ‘Less margin than Monaco’
08:00 , Kieran Jackson“I would put this as a circuit that has less margin than Monaco,” Russell said. “Purely because of the speed.
“In Monaco, the walls are closer but you’re going slower… if you make a mistake you’re in the wall less quickly and if you lock-up, you can recover it.
“Here, there’s a lot of really fast corners and the barriers are almost coming onto the track. If you are to go wide and hit the wall, you’re not hitting it at the same angle the car is going.”
Driver standings ahead of Spanish GP
07:00 , Kieran Jackson1. 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
PREVIEW: Welcome to the Madring - the 'car-killer' circuit
06:00 , Kieran Jackson“When I heard there were 20 red flags in the F3 test [in August], I was surprised,” began George Russell, as the Mercedes driver gave his verdict on the new ‘Madring’ circuit hosting the Spanish Grand Prix for the first time this weekend. “But when I tried out the simulator and saw where the red flags were on the track, I was surprised that there were only 20 red flags.”
“It’s a crazy circuit: the most risky on the whole calendar.”
Full piece below:
Welcome to the ‘car-killer’ Madring: F1’s ‘craziest circuit’ debuts this weekend
Charles Leclerc after qualifying fifth:
05:00 , Kieran JacksonIt’s an interesting track to drive on. There may have been a bit of margin for extracting more, but all in all, it was quite a good lap.There aren’t many spots where overtaking is possible here, so we will see how the race unfolds and try to take any opportunity we have to get ahead.
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur:
04:00 , Kieran JacksonWhen you are P1 after the first run in Q3, for sure you are targeting pole. I think Lewis made a small mistake at the start of his last flying lap and left around a tenth and a half in the first sector.
“Charles did a good lap and improved massively through Turns 5 and 6, but with such small gaps between the cars, it was not enough to do better than fifth.Now let’s focus on tomorrow: the data from long runs on Friday might not be fully representative, as no one really focused on this and the track is still evolving very quickly.
“From today’s F2 and F3 races, it’s clear that overtaking is extremely difficult on this track but we also know the race could be chaotic, so we need to be ready to take every opportunity, whether that comes from a VSC, a Safety Car or even a red flag.”
Carlos Sainz after his Q1 elimination at his home race
03:00 , Kieran Jackson“It was a good lap but a scrappy qualifying overall, with several issues that cost us precious tenths in the end. We knew we would struggle at this track but we also went out very early for the last push, losing out on track evolution, and had some deployment losses that prevented us from getting into Q2. Apologies to Valtteri for impeding his lap, I wasn’t aware he was pushing and had no time to get out of his way.
“On a positive note, this track has been a lot of fun to drive at qualifying pace, and I’m enjoying being so close to the walls and always driving at the limit. It’s been incredible to feel the support of the fans throughout the weekend so far, and it’s a dream come true to be here racing in front of my home crowd. Tomorrow, overtaking will be difficult, but we will try our best to come back and give everyone something to cheer for!”
Oscar Piastri, who qualified P7:
02:00 , Kieran Jackson“P7. I’m a bit disappointed with that one. Overall, it was a bit of a messy session and the car felt nicer in FP3 than it did in Qualifying. We improved it a bit through the three Qualifying sessions, but I didn’t have that last bit we needed in the last run.
“The first lap of Q3 on used tyres was okay, but my final run on new tyres wasn’t good enough. Around this track, once you’re out of rhythm it’s very hard to get it back, and needing two sets in Q1 put on the back foot a bit.”
George Russell after qualifying P6:
01:00 , Kieran Jackson“It was a tough qualifying session for me today. The main factor we were managing throughout all the sessions was ensuring we had the tyres in the right window. I had a really good lap in Q1 and hoped that I had the same potential in my last lap of Q3.
“Unfortunately, it was a bit of a scrappy lap; I had a lot of understeer from turn 11 onwards and lost a couple of tenths from there. The tyres really struggle here with the heat and the long corners, so you can find yourself sliding around, losing more time, and being pushed further down the order.
“Understanding the tyres more ahead of tomorrow will be crucial as while it didn't all come together for me today, I hope tomorrow I'll be able to make my way through the pack. We saw high tyre degradation on Friday and if that repeats itself tomorrow, then there will definitely be opportunities for us to make good progress.”
Constructor standings ahead of Spanish GP
00:00 , Kieran Jackson1. 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
COMMENT: How Kimi Antonelli manifested his inner Max Verstappen to reveal a new F1 reality
22:59 , Kieran JacksonIn the immediate aftermath, there was no sign of a crestfallen George Russell. As Kimi Antonelli jumped for joy with his family and made his way to the ‘No 1’ platform in the Monza pit-lane, it was in fact third-placed Max Verstappen who smiled and embraced the 20-year-old. And the Red Bull driver could not help but raise a smile. Moments earlier, Verstappen had embraced Antonelli’s father Marco, a former national racer himself. In the Italian, perhaps the Dutchman saw an embodiment of himself, nine years his junior.
At the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, in what was undoubtedly the race of the year so far, Antonelli produced a masterclass in all-out speed, poise and panache. Starting 19th on the grid, the Mercedes driver made 26 overtakes in total to execute a triumph which was rated at 25/1 pre-race. Not the impossibility it perhaps seemed but, nonetheless, a startling feat as he became Italy’s first home grand prix winner since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.
Full piece below:
How Kimi Antonelli manifested his inner Max Verstappen to reveal a new F1 reality
Lewis Hamilton reacts after missing out on first Ferrari F1 pole: ‘It’s a dodgy set of tyres’
21:00 , Kieran JacksonSpeaking on team radio to his race engineer Carlo Santi afterwards, Hamilton said: “It’s a dodgy set of tyres. Sorry guys, I gave it everything.”
Elaborating further on his final few laps in qualifying, Hamilton told Sky Sports: “Second lap was just as good as the other one, it was the same time pretty much. I think I was a little bit, half a tenth quicker or something like that.
“But, for some reason, we went into that last lap and as I started, came round the last corner, I had understeer and I was like ‘maybe these front tyres are not switched on,’ [but] just turned out I just had more rear and more understeer through the lap.”
Comical post-qualifying radio exchange between Lando Norris and his engineer:
20:00 , Kieran JacksonLando Norris: "Sorry. I f***** up man."
Will Joseph: "Hang on! Just wait a second... Two cars to go, wait a second. One car to go. Stay calm mate."
Norris: "F***ing idiot."
Joseph: "It wasn't your best final corner, but it's still pole, so well done."
Norris: "F*** YES! Ohhh what a lap! F***ing hell."
Joseph: "That was some lap."
Norris: "Gorgeous. Well done guys. Are you serious?"
Joseph: "Yeah I am serious!"
What is the starting grid?
19:00 , Kieran Jackson1. 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. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
18. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
19. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
21. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
QUALIFYING REPORT: Lando Norris stuns rivals to claim remarkable pole for first F1 race in Madrid
17:45 , Kieran JacksonLando 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.
Full report below:
Max Verstappen, who qualified third:
17:20 , Kieran Jackson“It was a very good qualifying, for me being third is a great result – the car felt quite decent, could attack corners the way we liked.
“This is a very good result.”
Kimi Antonelli, who qualified P2:
17:00 , Kieran Jackson“It was a good lap but then this guy snatched it away, good job to them. On my side, very intense qualifying, difficult to get the balance right with track so hot but the lap was clean.
“Overall, we did a good job and we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”
Lando Norris after claiming pole:
16:45 , Kieran Jackson“I’m shocked, a little bit surprised. But my god, one of the best laps I’ve ever done in my career. Very proud. One of those laps where it all came together, everything worked pretty much perfectly. One of those laps when you look at it at the end, s*** that’s pretty good.
“Adrenaline was high on the last lap. Got to relax and let it all flow. Walls come at you pretty quickly but I’ve been feeling pretty confident. Wasn’t quite relaxed in the last lap, took a good breath, pretty much perfect apart from the last corner, thought I was in the wall! You’re in that flow-state.”
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Norris so overjoyed after a session...
Top-10 in qualifying
16:16 , Kieran Jackson1. 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)
Norris jubilant
16:06 , Kieran Jackson“Ahhh that might be my best one! That makes me happy!”
And so he should be...
Lando Norris on pole position!
16:01 , Kieran JacksonWell, well, well - first it was Antonelli who nicked top spot from Hamilton, and then Lando Norris got it done!
By just 0.011 secs to Antonelli!
Verstappen nips in for third; Hamilton has to settle for fourth.
5-10: Leclerc, Russell, Piastri, Lawson, Colapinto, Lindblad
That was stunning!
Is this Hamilton's moment?
15:55 , Kieran JacksonThe 41-year-old, beyond the halfway mark in his second season at Ferrari, is yet to experience a grand prix pole position in red.
Is this the one?! With four minutes left in Q3, they all head back out...
Lewis Hamilton on provisional pole
15:53 , Kieran JacksonHere we go!
First set of Q3 laps in and it’s Lewis Hamilton - who has been nowhere all day - who goes top!
He’s 0.061 secs ahead of Kimi Antonelli in second, with George Russell a tenth down in third.
4-10: Leclerc, Verstappen, Norris, Piastri, Lawson, Colapinto, Lindblad
They’ll all head in, most for fresh rubber, and will have one more go!
Q3 underway
15:48 , Kieran JacksonKimi Antonelli leads a long queue at the end of the pit-lane as the top-10 shootout begins!
Who will be the first-ever pole-sitter in Madrid?!
10 drivers involved: Antonelli, Russell, Leclerc, Hamilton, Norris, Piastri, Verstappen, Lawson, Colapinto, Lindblad
Out in Q2
15:43 , Kieran Jackson11. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
12. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
13. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
14. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
15. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)
16. Alex Albon (Williams)
Gasly out
15:42 , Kieran JacksonOne week you’re pole-sitter, the next you’re not in the top-10.
Franco Colapinto has made it but Pierre Gasly is out in P14!
“No grip, I don’t get it, it’s a completely different car,” says Gasly.
Out in Q2 (11-16); Hulkenberg, Bortoleto, Ocon, Gasly, Tsunoda, Albon
Final laps in Q2
15:37 , Kieran JacksonBoth Alpines out on track - can they get themselves into Q3?
Current bottom-six (11-16): Bortoleto, Tsunoda, Ocon, Albon, Colapinto (no time), Gasly (no time)
2:00 left in Q2.
Verstappen quickest so far
15:32 , Kieran JacksonMomentum shifting back to the Dutchman?
He’s quickest after the first laps in Q2, with Antonelli 0.046 secs behind. Russell is third, two-tenths off.
Current bottom-six (11-16): Bortoleto, Tsunoda, Ocon, Albon, Colapinto (no time), Gasly (no time)
Unsure why the Alpines haven’t been out yet. Still, 7:00 left in Q2.
Q2 underway
15:26 , Kieran JacksonNo home drivers in now but we continue on with the second phase of qualifying where, again, we’ll lose the slowest six from the remainder of the session.
Out in Q1
15:22 , Kieran Jackson17. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
18. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
19. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
21. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Alonso and Sainz both out
15:21 , Kieran JacksonOh dear. That is not what the home fans wanted: Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso both OUT in Q1.
Sainz by just 0.005 secs to his Williams teammate Alex Albon!
Bottom-six (17-22) and out in Q1: Sainz, Alonso, Perez, Bottas, Bearman, Stroll
Alonso heading out
15:14 , Kieran JacksonThe home hero is currently P17, a tenth off his compatriot Carlos Sainz ahead.
Current bottom-six (17-22): Alonso, Albon, Perez, Bottas, Bearman (no time), Stroll (no time)
Meanwhile, George Russell is boxing after a brief touch with the wall. Car looks fine though.
3:00 to go in Q1...
HAAS STATEMENT
15:11 , Kieran Jackson“Ollie Bearman will not participate in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix as a result of the damage sustained to his VF-26.”
Twenty-one drivers taking part then...
Antonelli goes off
15:10 , Kieran JacksonClose shave for the favourite!
Antonelli locks up and goes off track in the final sector, but fortunately has a bit of run-off area and avoids the wall and continues on.
Got a few pulses racing though...
Antonelli ahead of Verstappen
15:08 , Kieran JacksonFirst marker laid down by the championship leader, who goes two-tenths quicker than Verstappen - though the Red Bull driver was on mediums.
First set of laps coming in now. 10 mins to go in Q1...
Q1 underway
15:02 , Kieran JacksonFirst qualifying session then - with Carlos Sainz out first.
18 minutes where we’ll lose the slowest six. Game on.
Qualifying in Madrid
14:55 , Kieran JacksonWith concerns over overtaking here, this should be a belting qualifying session!
Kimi Antonelli, quickest in two of the three practice sessions, has to go into it as the favourite but it’ll all be about who can put it together and risk the most... without putting it in the wall!
Ferrari are thereabouts too - can Lewis Hamilton be in contention after his crash earlier?
We’re about to find out.
Lewis Hamilton escapes sanction
14:43 , Kieran JacksonThe Ferrari driver was potentially in hot water for continuing to drive with a broken wing under his car following his FP3 crash, but the stewards have decided to take no further action.
Assuming his car is fixed, he’ll be all OK for qualifying shortly.
Arvid Lindblad after his crash on Friday
14:15 , Kieran Jackson"It's not an easy track, so we're all pushing to find the limits. It's new for all of us and I just made a bit of mistake and overdid it a little bit in Turn 13.
"A bit of a shame, I apologised to the mechanics and team because it's a bit of extra work for them.
"But looking at the big picture, it's been a good day. We're very fast, I was running P4 on merit. I was only 0.2secs from P1 which is really strong."
What time is qualifying?
13:15 , Kieran JacksonThe first-ever qualifying session at the new Madring circuit starts at 3pm BST.
Top-10 in FP3
13:02 , Kieran Jackson1. Antonelli - 1:32:797
2. Leclerc +0.166
3. Piastri +0.189
4. Norris +0.236
5. Verstappen +0.375
6. Russell +0.702
7. Lawson +1.105
8. Hulkenberg +1.136
9. Hamilton +1.487
10. Bortoleto +1.491
Kimi Antonelli fastest
12:55 , Kieran JacksonThe championship leader sets the final benchmark ahead of qualifying then, going 0.166 seconds quicker than Charles Leclerc in second.
Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen - all within four-tenths - complete the top five.
6-10: Russell, Lawson, Hulkenberg, Hamilton, Bearman
That was one long practice session!
Bearman crash
12:50 , Kieran JacksonOK so this was a bigger one.
The Haas driver spins and smashes into the wall, with his car sliding down the side of it.
He’s all OK - but that’ll be some repair job with just over two hours until qualifying!
Ollie Bearman crashes
12:48 , Kieran JacksonSession over as Bearman’s Haas is in the wall!
Two shunts in this final practice session...
Kimi Antonelli goes fastest
12:42 , Kieran JacksonThe championship leader makes a statement, going 0.166 secs quicker than Charles Leclerc?
Can the Ferrari driver respond in the closing stages?
FP3 back underway
12:38 , Kieran JacksonWill we get any change at the top?
Leclerc currently holds it by 0.297 secs to Antonelli.
Session will resume in two minutes
12:31 , Kieran JacksonCars storm out of the garage and into the pit-lane as we receive a restart time.
It’ll start at 12:32pm (BST).
FP3 paused
12:28 , Kieran JacksonWork continues on the stricken barrier - I think the crash happened at an indent between two Tecpro barriers and, despite the marshal’s best efforts, they can’t push them back into place again.
Nonetheless, fans in the baking hot sun continue to wave and dance in the grandstands!
Let’s hope we get some action on track soon...
Session stopped
12:19 , Kieran JacksonThis is unusual.
They’re having real problems re-assembling the barrier at turn 22 and, given its final practice at a new circuit, the FIA have taken the unusual step of stopping the clock in practice.
We have 15:38 left - and that’s how much the drivers will get... as soon as this issue is fixed.
VIDEO: Hamilton's crash
12:02 , Kieran JacksonOnboard with Lewis Hamilton during his crash in FP3 pic.twitter.com/OZgRkukGmr
— Holiness (@F1BigData) September 12, 2026
FP3
12:00 , Kieran JacksonNeedless to say, that crash brought out a red-flag.
Should be a quick one though, with Hamilton’s damaged Ferrari now removed from the circuit.
Ironically, his team-mate Charles Leclerc is top of the standings at halfway, with Kimi Antonelli three-tenths off in second and Lando Norris in third.
Hamilton was fourth on the leaderboard when he crashed out.
Hamilton crash
11:56 , Kieran JacksonReplays show Hamilton simply locked up at the final turn!
Against his engineer’s wishes to stop, the Briton was looking to get the car back to the pit-lane but he’s finally stopped in the final sector.
Ah dear.
Hamilton crashes
11:54 , Kieran JacksonThe Ferrari driver is in the wall at turn 22!
He reverses out and continues, but with severe damage to his Ferrari car.
Engineer: “Stop the car.”
Hamilton: “The car is going.”
Problems for Williams
11:48 , Kieran JacksonMoments after Albon hits the wall, home hero Carlos Sainz locks up in the final sector and takes one of the rare run-off areas on this circuit.
The Williams pairing just struggling to find their rhythm early on.
Both Ferraris are now out - and both are top of the standings. Hamilton clear by a tenth.
Half the cars out on track right now
11:42 , Kieran JacksonSlow progress so far this morning, with 11 cars still in the garages.
Among those out on track is Alex Albon, who had a brief touch of the wall on his push lap.
The top two thus far are the Audi pairing of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.
Top-10 - driver standings
11:33 , Kieran JacksonKimi Antonelli’s lead is 66 points.
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
FP3 underway
11:30 , Kieran JacksonSo we are a go for the third and final practice session of the weekend.
A key one, too, given this is a new circuit and the drivers will want as much info as possible heading into qualifying later.
That being said, typically at the start of FP3, no immediate action in the pit-lane.
What are the start times this weekend?
11:25 , Kieran JacksonTimes BST
Saturday 12 September
- Free practice 3: 11:30am
- Qualifying: 3pm
Sunday 13 September
- Race: 2pm
F1 Spanish Grand Prix
11:22 , Kieran JacksonWelcome to live coverage of day two at the Spanish Grand Prix!
F1 heads to its first new circuit in three years as a street circuit in Madrid hosts the Spanish Grand Prix for the first time.
Kimi Antonelli is riding the highest of waves after his sensational victory from 19th on the grid in Monza. The Italian now has a 66-point lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell in second, with a scheduled 10 rounds remaining in the 2026 season.
Lewis Hamilton cut a frustrated figure post-race in Monza after his sixth-place finish and declared himself out of the title race. Nevertheless, he remains in third place, 76 points off Antonelli, and will be eyeing a return to top form this weekend. Max Verstappen completed the Monza podium, as he continues to chase his first victory in 2026.
Madrid’s new street track, the Madring, has 22 corners and an iconic turn 12, christened ‘La Monumental’, with menacing steep banking. It will be a home race for Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso and it replaces Barcelona as the host of the Spanish GP on a 10-year deal.
