Oscar Piastri secured his fourth pole position of the season, qualifying ahead of teammate Lando Norris, as McLaren achieved a front-row lockout for the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix. Max Verstappen of Red Bull qualified in third place, maintaining the front of the second row after matching the time set by Mercedes’ George Russell, who secured fourth position.
At the beginning of Q1, Piastri secured the top position with a lap time of 1:12.551, followed by Norris in second, 0.248 seconds behind. Verstappen was the final driver on the track and recorded a lap time of 1:12.798, narrowly surpassing Norris by one thousandth of a second.
“It’s been a good weekend so far. It didn’t start off in the best way — we were struggling a little bit — but I think last night we found some pace,” Piastri said. “And today, the car’s been mega, and I feel like I’ve been able to put in some good laps as well. So thank you to the team for all the hard work. This was a pretty miserable scene 12 months ago, so to have turned it around in the best way is a great result.”
Piastri and Verstappen chose to remain in the garage for the final runs. Meanwhile, in the other Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda needed to improve his performance. The Japanese driver had experienced a rough encounter with the kerbs during his first run and was positioned at P19. Despite believing he had completed a clean and competitive final lap, the anticipated improvement did not materialize, and he ultimately qualified in P20.
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At the end of Q1, the following drivers were eliminated: Nico Hülkenberg in 16th place; Esteban Ocon (Haas); Carlos Sainz (Williams); and Franco Colapinto (Alpine), who withdrew from the session in 19th position due to a technical issue that caused him to stop at the pit exit during the final flying laps.
“Oscar drove very well. I think the pace is definitely there,” Norris said. “Just a couple of little mistakes, but yeah, didn’t do it. And Oscar, like I said, was driving well all weekend. So, a good result for the team, a nice one-two, and an interesting start for tomorrow.”
Alex Albon of Williams set an early pace in Q2 with a lap time of 1:13.113 on used tyres. Shortly thereafter, Max Verstappen surpassed that performance with a lap of 1:12.358, taking the lead. The McLaren drivers continued to improve, with Lando Norris posting a 1:12.056 and Oscar Piastri then setting a new best of 1:11.998, narrowly ahead of Norris and securing the top position. George Russell finished in P4, just under five hundredths of a second behind Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari qualified in fifth position.
None of the top five drivers made a final attempt, but although the door was left open, only Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar made a significant improvement at the end of the middle segment. The French driver advanced from the drop zone to P6, finishing ahead of Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Antonelli, and Pierre Gasly.
Outside the top 10, Alexander Albon was the first to be eliminated, followed by Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Liam Lawson, who drives for Racing Bull, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, and Ollie Bearman of Haas.
During the initial segment of the top-10 shootout, Norris secured provisional pole with a time of 1:11.819, followed closely by Piastri, who was 0.017 seconds behind. Russell and Leclerc qualified third and fourth, respectively. Verstappen, who employed a different tyre preparation strategy, recorded a lap that was just three hundredths of a second faster than his Q2 best, ultimately placing him fifth. His position was later adjusted to sixth after Alonso completed his sole run of the session on fresh tires.
“We were lacking all weekend, of course, compared to them. But I think we executed well,” Verstappen said. “And I think, yeah, that third position is where we more or less should be, even though I think it’s quite close behind as well. So yeah, it’s fun. I mean, around here squeezing everything out of the car — the grip is always quite good even with the hot temperatures — but yeah, let’s see tomorrow what we can do from there.”
Verstappen performed exceptionally well on his final lap, advancing from tenth position amid significant improvements to secure third place in the final moments. Russell recorded an identical time of 1:11.848; however, the front of the second row was awarded to the Red Bull driver, as he posted the time earlier.
Despite their efforts, the McLarens maintained a leading pace, with Piastri securing his fourth pole position of the season with a lap time of 1:11.546. Norris finished just two tenths of a second behind his teammate. In the qualifying session, Hamilton secured fifth place, followed by Antonelli in sixth. Leclerc qualified seventh, ahead of Gasly, Hadjar, and Alonso, who finished in tenth position.
2025 FIA Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:11.546 – –
2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:11.755 0.209 0.292
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:11.848 0.302 0.422
4 George Russell Mercedes 1:11.848 0.302 0.422
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:12.045 0.499 0.697
6 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:12.111 0.565 0.790
7 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:12.131 0.585 0.818
8 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:12.199 0.653 0.913
9 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:12.252 0.706 0.987
10 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:12.284 0.738 1.032
11 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:12.641 1.095 1.530
12 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:12.756 1.210 1.691
13 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:12.763 1.217 1.701
14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:13.058 1.512 2.113
15 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:13.315 1.769 2.473
16 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:13.190 1.644 2.298
17 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:13.201 1.655 2.313
18 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:13.203 1.657 2.316
19 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 1:13.334 1.788 2.499
20 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:13.385 1.839 2.570
Photo/OscarPiastri/X
