Norris beats Verstappen to Spain pole

The McLaren driver beats the defending champion by 0.02s in qualifying

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Lando Norris will start the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position after beating Max Verstappen by 0.02s in qualifying.

The defending champion looked to be heading for pole after setting the pace at the start of Q3, before going faster with his second lap, but Norris found the best lap of the day right at the end of the session to ensure he’ll start at the front of the field.

The track seemed to be at its quickest right at the end of qualifing, as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell both went quick late on the secure an all-Mercedes second row.

Oscar Piastri wasn’t able to challenge his McLaren teammate, as the Australian ran wide on his first flying lap in Q3, and didn’t make it back out to set a time.

Both Alpine drivers found themselves in Q3, while both Aston Martins failed to make it through to the final part of qualifying, despite Fernando Alonso pushing for a spot in the top 10.

The VCARB cars brought a big upgrade to the race, but neither driver seemed to be able to get the most from the car, as they both dropped out in Q1, while Williams also lacked pace, as they line up on the back row.

Provisional qualifying result:

1 Lando Norris (McLaren)

2. Max Vesrtappen (Red Bull)

3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

4. George Russell (Mercedes)

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

6. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)*

9. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

10. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

11. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

12. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)

13. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

14. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

15. Guanyu Zhou (Sauber)

16. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

17. Yuki Tsunoda (VCARB)

18. Daniel Ricciardo (VCARB)

19. Alex Albon (Williams)

20. Logan Sargeant (Williams)

*Perez has a three-place grid penalty

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