Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday, setting a lap of 1:31.824 at the new Madring circuit to edge out Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli by just eleven thousandths of a second. Max Verstappen completed the top three ahead of Sunday's race.
The race takes place this Sunday, September 13, at Madring, with lights out scheduled for 8:00 a.m. in Peru and 3:00 p.m. in Spain.
The Madring track proved a tough test even for the sport's most experienced drivers during qualifying, with high temperatures and unforgiving corners that punished the smallest mistakes. With Mercedes and McLaren setting the pace and Ferrari working to close the gap, the Spanish Grand Prix is shaping up as a contest of endurance and precision.
Spain's two representatives on the grid face difficult afternoons. Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz will start from the back half of the field and will need to capitalise on any incidents or strategy calls to move forward during the race.
Starting grid for the Spanish Grand Prix
The full starting order for Sunday's race in Madrid is as follows:
- 1. 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. Arvin 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. Alexander Albon (Williams)
- 17. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- 18. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- 19. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
- 20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
- 21. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- 22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Drivers' championship standings
Heading into the Madrid weekend, Antonelli leads the drivers' standings with 207 points, seven wins and eleven podiums. Russell sits second on 187 points with seven wins and eight podiums, followed by Hamilton on 181 points with five wins and seven podiums.
Norris, despite taking pole in Madrid, is fourth in the championship with 171 points, one win and four podiums. Leclerc follows on 156 points, one win and four podiums, with Verstappen sixth on 127 points, five wins and six podiums. Piastri rounds out the top seven with 119 points, one win and three podiums.
Further back, Isack Hadjar has 71 points, Lawson 51, Gasly 41, Anton Lundblad 29 and Colapinto 21. Bearman has 18 points, Bortoleto 10 and Hulkenberg 8. Sainz has 6 points and Albon 5, while Ocon and Alonso are level on 3 points each. Tsunoda, Stroll, Bottas and Perez have yet to score.
How to watch the Spanish Grand Prix
Race start times vary widely across regions given the time difference with Spain. The Madrid Grand Prix goes green at 8:00 a.m. in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Panama, 7:00 a.m. in Mexico, 9:00 a.m. in Bolivia and Venezuela, 10:00 a.m. in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay, and 3:00 p.m. in Spain.
Viewers in Peru and the rest of South America can follow the race on Disney+ through ESPN or on F1 TV Pro. In Spain, coverage will be available on DAZN F1 and on free-to-air television via Telecinco.
