F1 Qualifying Results for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix as Championship Takes Another Turn

Who will start on pole at the first race at the Madring circuit in Madrid, Spain?

McLaren Racing

Lando Norris delivered a stunning final effort to clinch pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver is the first polesitter at the new Madring circuit and found a full second between Q2 and Q3 to beat Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli by just one-hundredth of a second.

Max Verstappen was third fastest for Red Bull in a dramatic end to an hour which saw four teams in with a chance of pole.

F1 Spanish Grand Prix 2026: Q1 Results

Just 21 drivers took to the circuit at the start of Q1, with Oliver Bearman forced to sit out of the session.

Ollie Bearman will not take part in Qualifying as a result of the damage sustained to his VF-26 in FP3 😢#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/bkObGBd7bF

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 12, 2026

The Briton severely damaged his Haas in the dying seconds of final practice earlier in the day after a high-speed spin at Turn 11 - the rebuild was unable to be completed in time for qualifying.

That left just five elimination places as drivers drove the new Madring circuit with pressure applied for the first time.

Antonelli was the fastest early on before Liam Lawson used a fresh set of softs - that he had saved in FP3 - to trump the Mercedes, while both Ferraris and Verstappen set their initial runs on medium tires, saving the soft allocation for later in the day.

But the focus for Q1 was down at the lower end of the field and going into the final runs of the segment, it was the two home heroes, Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, either side of the cut line.

The Williams driver moved up to 14th, while Alonso went 15th, with rivals still needing to set a time. Alex Albon and Arvid Lindblad improved to push Aston Martin's two-time champion out of qualifying, with Sainz also usurped by Yuki Tsunoda in the other Racing Bull.

Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team

Both Cadillacs joined those two in dropping out - Sergio Perez improving with his final effort to leapfrog Valtteri Bottas. Neither Bearman nor Lance Stroll set times; the Canadian faced a back-of-the-grid start for engine changes anyway but was unable to take to the track with a water pressure issue.

George Russell set the fastest lap of Q1 with the final effort of all, leading a Mercedes 1-2 with Antonelli also improving late on.

Position	Driver / Team	Gap to Q2 [s]
17	Carlos Sainz / Williams	+0.005
18	Fernando Alonso / Aston Martin	+0.081
19	Sergio Perez / Cadillac	+0.606
20	Valtteri Bottas / Cadillac	+2.704
21	Oliver Bearman / Haas	No Time
22	Lance Stroll / Aston Martin	No Time

F1 Spanish Grand Prix 2026: Q2 Results

With the four top teams all setting early banker laps without issue, Q2 became a story of which midfield runners would get the final two spots in the final part of qualifying.

Franco Colapinto very nearly didn't get the chance, somehow catching a huge snap of oversteer as his Alpine slammed the ground at the 0.55km high-speed banked La Monumental corner, the Madring's showpiece.

La Monumental is not the place you want oversteer... 🫨

Thankfully, Franco Colapinto saved this moment! 💨#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/TFlZLI71cM

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 12, 2026

The Argentine gathered his car up and managed to escape back to the pitlane without further drama, giving him a chance to return to the elimination battle as time wound down.

While Verstappen demonstrated speed in the Red Bull to top the session, it was Colapinto and Lindblad who joined the usual suspects in Q3, the former recovering from his earlier issue and the latter having shrugged off his FP2 crash on Friday.

Nico Hulkenberg again qualified 11th for Audi and ahead of teammate Gabriel Bortoleto, albeit with two-tenths separating the duo.

Esteban Ocon was 13th in the lone Haas, while Monza polesitter Pierre Gasly could muster just 14th, the Frenchman complaining of a lack of grip.

Tsunoda was 15th in what could be his final qualifying of the season, as Albon finished 16th.

Position	Driver / Team	Gap to Q3 [s]
11	Nico Hulkenberg / Audi	+0.019
12	Gabriel Bortoleto / Audi	+0.184
13	Esteban Ocon / Haas	+0.463
14	Pierre Gasly / Alpine	+0.549
15	Yuki Tsunoda / Racing Bulls	+0.880
16	Alex Albon / Williams	+2.228

F1 Spanish Grand Prix 2026: Q3 Results

Pole is up for grabs 👀

Kimi Antonelli is at the front of the queue, so is set to be the first to complete his lap 💨#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/JHz9ixxZyZ

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 12, 2026

The tables turned again at the start of Q3 as Lewis Hamilton went fastest of the first flying efforts, expelling any issues from his off in FP3 earlier in the day.

Antonelli and Russell came next, ahead of Charles Leclerc, with Verstappen only fifth despite a purple middle sector. That quintet was separated by just over two-tenths of a second, with the same gap to the McLaren duo in sixth and seventh - Norris and Oscar Piastri needing to find time.

When it came to crunch time, Antonelli was the first to set a time and went faster by two and a half tenths with two purple sectors.

Russell was next across the line, but a slide at the final corner cost him time, meaning eyes turned to those behind.

Leclerc improved to second but was usurped instantly by teammate Hamilton, who couldn't bridge the gap to Antonelli's time; then Norris came from nowhere to deliver when it mattered, clinching pole position by just 0.011s.

Verstappen split Antonelli and Hamilton to take third, with Leclerc fifth ahead of Russell.

Piastri was almost half a second down in seventh but ahead of Lawson, with Colapinto ahead of Lindblad on row five.

Position	Driver / Team	Gap [s]
1	Lando Norris / McLaren	1:31.824
2	Kimi Antonelli / Mercedes	+0.011
3	Max Verstappen / Red Bull	+0.140
4	Lewis Hamilton / Ferrari	+0.189
5	Charles Leclerc / Ferrari	+0.195
6	George Russell / Mercedes	+0.325
7	Oscar Piastri / McLaren	+0.470
8	Liam Lawson / Red Bull	+0.492
9	Franco Colapinto / Alpine	+1.079
10	Arvid Lindblad / Racing Bulls	+1.217