Oscar Piastri takes pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of Lando Norris. Here’s what happened during qualifying in Spain!
In Montmeló, McLaren secures the front row of the Spanish Grand Prix, with Oscar Piastri claiming the fifth pole position of his career with a time of 1:11.546, ahead of teammate Lando Norris. Behind the two Papaya drivers will be Max Verstappen and George Russell. Lewis Hamilton will start alongside Kimi Antonelli, while Ferrari’s number 16 (Charles Leclerc) will line up 7th next to Pierre Gasly in 8th. For the two home drivers, qualifying in Spain showed two sides of the same coin: Fernando Alonso will start 10th, while Carlos Sainz was eliminated in Q1 and will begin the race in 18th.
Spanish GP qualifying session summary
17:00 – POLE POSITION FOR OSCAR PIASTRI!
Lando Norris will start from P2, ahead of Max Verstappen and George Russell. The two Ferraris will start from fifth and seventh with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Charles Leclerc.
16:56 – Fernando Alonso finishes his lap to go fifth with a 1:12.284 in front of his home crowd! Max Verstappen is currently sixth.
16:55 – With just over five minutes remaining, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are in fourth and sixth positions respectively.
16:53 – After a failed slipstream attempt earlier, Lando Norris manages to get ahead of his teammate by 0.017 seconds. Provisional pole for the Brit!
16:52 – Oscar Piastri crosses the line with the fastest lap: 1:11.836. Behind the Aussie McLaren driver are George Russell and Max Verstappen.
16:49 – It’s crunch time: Q3 begins! Who will take the ninth pole of the 2025 Formula 1 season?
16:40 – Isack Hadjar scrapes through with the sixth-best time in Q2, knocking out Alex Albon by 0.030 seconds. Alongside the Williams driver, eliminated are Gabriel Bortoleto, Liam Lawson, Lance Stroll, and Oliver Bearman. Meanwhile, the sky over Montmeló is growing darker as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris temporarily lock out the front row.
16:33 – After the first timed attempts, Kimi Antonelli is in ninth, while George Russell moves into fourth, just ahead of his former teammate. On the edge of elimination are Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto, with the latter currently first among the drop zone.
16:30 – Strong lap from Max Verstappen with a 1:12.358, improving the Q1 benchmark set by Piastri. Hadjar and Bortoleto are currently third and fourth. Norris crosses the line and takes P1 with a +0.302s margin over the Dutchman. Hamilton and Leclerc slot in just behind. But Piastri reclaims the top spot with a 1:11.998.
16:25 – GREEN LIGHT for Q2! Alex Albon sets the first time in 1:13.113, ahead of Oliver Bearman by +0.537s. Everyone is out on track, except for Piastri and the two Silver Arrows: George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
16:21 – Kimi Antonelli finishes his lap in fifth, just behind his teammate. The time to beat remains Piastri’s 1:12.551. On the edge: Oliver Bearman. The British rookie scrapes through to Q2, knocking out teammate Esteban Ocon. Shocking exit for Carlos Sainz at his home GP (his first Q1 elimination since the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP), and Yuki Tsunoda – they will start 18th and 20th respectively. Also out: Franco Colapinto and Nico Hülkenberg.
16:16 – With under five minutes left in Q1, nearly all cars head back to the pits for fresh tires. Among those needing to improve is Kimi Antonelli, currently 12th and at risk of elimination. Trouble also for Franco Colapinto, who stopped at the pit lane exit.
16:12 – Max Verstappen splits the two Papaya cars. Leclerc is 5th, Hamilton 8th. On the bubble: Liam Lawson.
16:09 – The MCL39 shines on the Spanish track, with Lando Norris topping the timing screen with a 1:12.799—until Piastri arrives. The Aussie improves by 0.248s in the second and third sectors to beat his teammate’s time.
16:05 – Most cars are now leaving the pits, including Carlos Sainz. This is his first home race wearing Williams colors. Also on track: the two Ferraris and Fernando Alonso.
16:01 – HERE WE GO – Qualifying begins at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya! The two Haas cars, along with Colapinto, Stroll, and Albon, are first out to set lap times.
14:18 – Q1 will begin at 16:00 (local time). Who will claim pole for the ninth round of the season? Follow all live updates here!
For the ninth round of the season, Formula 1 stops in the homeland of Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The final practice session in Montmeló ended with Oscar Piastri on top, followed by teammate Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc in third. Despite the new FIA directive regarding wing flexibility, McLaren appears unstoppable, showing strong performance both in qualifying and race pace, and is a clear contender for pole with one of its two Papaya drivers in this final Saturday afternoon of May.
Currently, the track record belongs to Lando Norris—fresh off a victory at last week’s Monaco Grand Prix—who set a 1:11.383 during the 2024 Spanish GP, which earned him pole position for the Sunday race later won by Max Verstappen. The Dutchman remains a serious threat this afternoon. Meanwhile, Ferrari’s form remains inconsistent, alternating between strong pace and visible struggles, especially during medium-tire stints.
Photo: Atlassian Williams Racing, Scuderia Ferrari HP.