A spectacular qualifying session at the equally spectacular Madring circuit will see the Spanish Grand Prix begin with reigning World Champion Lando Norris on pole for McLaren, and the Mercedes of championship leader Kimi Antonelli alongside.
Firmly in the mix, as always when the lights go out, will be Max Verstappen, the Dutchman who will start third with the Red Bull ahead of the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Then come the second Mercedes and McLaren of George Russell and Oscar Piastri.
Red Bull substitute Liam Lawson occupies a creditable eighth position on the grid, while arguably the biggest surprise in the top 10 is Franco Colapinto, the Argentine driver who beat his Alpine team-mate (and last time’s pole winner) Pierre Gasly by a full five places.
Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad recovered well from his accident on Friday to reach Q3 and place 10th. Less fortunate was his compatriot Ollie Bearman, whose heavy contact with the Madrid barriers in FP3 meant his Haas was not ready for qualifying. It will leave the pit lane with a new chassis and power unit elements.
Like Bearman, Lance Stroll did not set a lap time and, following the installation of several new power unit elements in his Aston Martin, the Canadian will start from the back of the grid.
The only man to receive a driving-related grid penalty is Williams’ Carlos Sainz, who dropped three places from his original P17 qualifying position for impeding Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas during Saturday’s session.
The 2026 Spanish Grand Prix starts at 3:00 p.m. local time. Be sure to join our live coverage from 2:00 p.m. here.