McLaren locks out Spanish GP front row as Piastri beats Norris

Oscar Piastri outshone McLaren team-mate Lando Norris to take a commanding pole position for the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, leading a thrilling qualifying that saw the team papaya duo dominate in Barcelona.

In a session defined by ultra-fine margins and bold performances, Piastri claimed his fourth career pole with a blinding final lap that left the rest of the field – and especially his teammate – trailing.

The McLaren one-two front row lockout left Max Verstappen and George Russell battling fiercely to secure the second row.

• Spanish Grand Prix - Qualifying results

With the Spanish sun baking the track, the session was a high-stakes chess match, packed with surprises and heartbreak, especially for home hero Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda

Tense Battle Between McLaren Teammates

The top ten shootout was set up as a straight duel between the McLaren drivers. On their first runs, Norris narrowly edged Piastri by just 0.017s, setting a 1m11.819s to the Australian’s 1m11.836s. But Piastri wasn’t finished.

When the final laps came, Piastri unleashed a masterful second sector on his way to a 1m11.546s lap that proved untouchable. Norris managed only a slight improvement, handing Piastri not only pole for Sunday’s race but also a statement result in their growing internal rivalry.

Behind them, Max Verstappen and George Russell delivered an unusual moment of synchronicity: they both posted identical lap times, but Verstappen was awarded third as he crossed the line first.

Mercedes’ Russell, who has looked strong all weekend, had to settle for fourth.

Lewis Hamilton delivered a solid performance to take fifth, narrowly ahead of young Mercedes prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

The seven-time world champion made the most of his experience to beat both his replacement and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who surprisingly completed only just one Q3 run and ended up seventh.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly continued his resurgence with a strong eighth-place result, closely followed by Isack Hadjar, whose consistency in the Racing Bulls machine is turning heads in the paddock.

Fernando Alonso delighted the local fans briefly with a lap that temporarily lifted him to fifth, but the Aston Martin driver was eventually shuffled down to 10th.

Q2 Exit for Williams and Strong Showing from Rookies

The second segment of qualifying proved terminal for several hopefuls. Alex Albon missed Q3 by a mere 0.030s, ending 11th in what was a better-than-expected outing for Williams at a traditionally difficult venue.

Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto was an impressive 12th, once again outperforming expectations in just his rookie season.

Behind them came Liam Lawson in 13th, Lance Stroll in 14th for Aston Martin, and Oliver Bearman, who continued his strong rookie form with 15th for Haas. Notably, Bearman beat veteran team-mate Nico Hülkenberg, who failed to advance from Q1.

Home Heartbreak and Shock Exits

Q1 provided its fair share of drama, particularly for the home crowd. Carlos Sainz was a shock elimination in 18th, the Williams driver unable to find pace all weekend.

His struggles were compounded by an Alpine disaster, as Franco Colapinto suffered a car issue and failed to put in a second run, ending 19th.

But the biggest shock came from Yuki Tsunoda, who finished dead last in 20th after a scrappy lap in which he lost time across all three sectors — a far cry from the Red Bull driver's usual feisty qualifying performances.

With McLaren locking out the front row and Piastri delivering a statement pole, Sunday’s race promises fireworks.

Verstappen lurks just behind in third, while Russell and Hamilton could make it a Mercedes-versus-McLaren dogfight.

But with fine margins separating the front-runners and Barcelona known for its strategy challenges, the Spanish Grand Prix is wide open – and the spotlight will shine brightest on McLaren’s young Australian star as he leads the field to lights out.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook