{"id":2139,"date":"2026-09-12T12:09:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T15:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=2139"},"modified":"2026-09-12T12:14:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T15:14:39","slug":"norris-beats-antonelli-by-0-011s-to-take-first-f1-pole-at-madring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/norris-beats-antonelli-by-0-011s-to-take-first-f1-pole-at-madring\/","title":{"rendered":"Norris beats Antonelli by 0.011s to take first F1 pole at Madring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lando Norris took pole for the Spanish GP by just 0.011s over championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Norris celebrated immediately over the radio, calling the lap potentially his best and admitting: &#8220;That made me happy.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The result gives McLaren the first F1 pole position at the new Madring circuit after a difficult start to Norris&#8217; weekend.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lando Norris could barely hide his satisfaction after producing a last-gasp lap to beat Andrea Kimi Antonelli by only <strong>0.011s<\/strong> and take pole position for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The McLaren driver delivered when it mattered in Q3, overturning Mercedes&#8217; apparent advantage and becoming the <strong>first Formula 1 pole-sitter in Madring history<\/strong>. Antonelli had to settle for second despite missing out by only 11 thousandths of a second, while Max Verstappen secured third for Red Bull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Norris immediately recognised the quality of the lap over the team radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Oh, that might be my best one!&#8221; he said after crossing the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once pole was confirmed, the reigning world champion added simply: &#8220;Oh&#8230; That made me happy.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result represents a remarkable turnaround from a difficult opening day for Norris in Madrid. He completed only two laps and failed to set a time in FP2 after McLaren encountered a gearbox problem, costing him valuable mileage at a circuit that is completely new to Formula 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/antonelli-leads-ferrari-duo-in-spanish-gp-fp2-as-lindblad-crashes-at-madring\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">Antonelli led FP2 ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton<\/a>, Norris spent almost the entire session in the McLaren garage. The Mercedes driver had set a 1:33.662 on Friday and remained among the leading contenders throughout Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Norris recovered in FP3 before facing another minor setback in qualifying when he was caught speeding in the pit lane. The Briton was recorded at 88.5 km\/h against the 80 km\/h limit, earning McLaren a \u20ac900 fine but no sporting penalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of that prevented him from delivering in Q3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antonelli appeared poised to continue Mercedes&#8217; strong Madrid weekend, but Norris found enough on his final attempt to move ahead by the smallest of margins. The <strong>0.011s gap<\/strong> underlined how little separated McLaren and Mercedes when the decisive laps arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pole is particularly significant because track position is expected to matter at Madring. Drivers spent Friday highlighting the circuit&#8217;s narrow sections and limited overtaking opportunities, making Norris&#8217; victory in qualifying potentially valuable for Sunday&#8217;s race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also gives McLaren an opportunity to challenge a Mercedes team that has controlled much of the 2026 season. Antonelli arrived in Madrid with 267 points and a 66-point championship lead over George Russell, while Norris sits fourth on 171. The current championship order is listed by <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> ahead of the Spanish GP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Norris, however, the immediate reaction was less about championship mathematics and more about the satisfaction of producing a lap when there was no margin left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eleven thousandths separated him from Antonelli \u2014 and made Norris the answer to a new piece of Formula 1 history: <strong>Madring&#8217;s first pole-sitter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">F1 2026: Spanish GP qualifying results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Pos.<\/th><th>Driver<\/th><th>Team\/Engine<\/th><th>Time<\/th><th>Gap<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1<\/td><td><strong>L. NORRIS<\/strong><\/td><td>McLaren Mercedes<\/td><td>1:31.824<\/td><td>\u2014<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2<\/td><td><strong>A. K. ANTONELLI<\/strong><\/td><td>Mercedes<\/td><td>1:31.835<\/td><td>+0.011s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3<\/td><td><strong>M. VERSTAPPEN<\/strong><\/td><td>Red Bull Ford<\/td><td>1:31.964<\/td><td>+0.140s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>4<\/td><td><strong>L. HAMILTON<\/strong><\/td><td>Ferrari<\/td><td>1:32.013<\/td><td>+0.189s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>5<\/td><td><strong>C. LECLERC<\/strong><\/td><td>Ferrari<\/td><td>1:32.019<\/td><td>+0.195s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>6<\/td><td><strong>G. RUSSELL<\/strong><\/td><td>Mercedes<\/td><td>1:32.149<\/td><td>+0.325s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>7<\/td><td><strong>O. PIASTRI<\/strong><\/td><td>McLaren Mercedes<\/td><td>1:32.294<\/td><td>+0.470s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>8<\/td><td><strong>L. LAWSON<\/strong><\/td><td>Red Bull Ford<\/td><td>1:32.316<\/td><td>+0.492s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>9<\/td><td><strong>F. COLAPINTO<\/strong><\/td><td>Alpine Mercedes<\/td><td>1:32.903<\/td><td>+1.079s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>10<\/td><td><strong>A. LINDBLAD<\/strong><\/td><td>Racing Bulls Ford<\/td><td>1:33.041<\/td><td>+1.217s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>11<\/td><td><strong>N. H\u00dcLKENBERG<\/strong><\/td><td>Audi<\/td><td>1:33.223<\/td><td>+1.399s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>12<\/td><td><strong>G. BORTOLETO<\/strong><\/td><td>Audi<\/td><td>1:33.388<\/td><td>+1.564s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>13<\/td><td><strong>E. OCON<\/strong><\/td><td>Haas Ferrari<\/td><td>1:33.667<\/td><td>+1.843s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>14<\/td><td><strong>P. GASLY<\/strong><\/td><td>Alpine Mercedes<\/td><td>1:33.753<\/td><td>+1.929s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>15<\/td><td><strong>Y. TSUNODA<\/strong><\/td><td>Racing Bulls Ford<\/td><td>1:34.084<\/td><td>+2.260s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>16<\/td><td><strong>A. ALBON<\/strong><\/td><td>Williams Mercedes<\/td><td>1:35.532<\/td><td>+3.708s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>17<\/td><td><strong>C. SAINZ<\/strong><\/td><td>Williams Mercedes<\/td><td>1:35.312<\/td><td>+3.488s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>18<\/td><td><strong>F. ALONSO<\/strong><\/td><td>Aston Martin Honda<\/td><td>1:35.388<\/td><td>+3.564s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>19<\/td><td><strong>S. P\u00c9REZ<\/strong><\/td><td>Cadillac Ferrari<\/td><td>1:35.913<\/td><td>+4.089s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>20<\/td><td><strong>V. BOTTAS<\/strong><\/td><td>Cadillac Ferrari<\/td><td>1:38.011<\/td><td>+6.187s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>21<\/td><td><strong>O. BEARMAN<\/strong><\/td><td>Haas Ferrari<\/td><td>No time<\/td><td>\u2014<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>22<\/td><td><strong>L. STROLL<\/strong><\/td><td>Aston Martin Honda<\/td><td>No time<\/td><td>\u2014<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who took pole position for the 2026 Spanish GP?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lando Norris took pole position for McLaren, beating Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What did Lando Norris say after taking pole at Madring?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Norris celebrated over the team radio, saying: &#8220;Oh, that might be my best one!&#8221; He then added: &#8220;Oh&#8230; That made me happy.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who is the first F1 pole-sitter at Madring?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lando Norris is the first Formula 1 driver to take pole position at Madring, which hosts its inaugural Spanish Grand Prix in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lando Norris delivered at the final opportunity in Madrid to beat Andrea Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011s and become the first Formula 1 pole-sitter in Madring history<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020314812,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Norris edges Antonelli by 11 thousandths for historic Madring pole","42wp_featured_image_credits":"McLaren","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[19,325,117,29],"42wp_author":[22],"class_list":["post-2139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-f1-2026","tag-lando-norris","tag-spanish-gp","42wp_author-jp-nascimento"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2139"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2141,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2139\/revisions\/2141"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020314812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2139"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=2139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}