Lando Norris’s pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix does not reach the levels of Pierre Gasly’s at Monza, but it is still surprising. Having remained in the shadows all weekend, the world champion came out at the decisive moment, in a qualifying session where everything was decided on the last attempt. Ferrari, on the other hand, faltered precisely at the decisive moment, but fourth and fifth positions might not be a condemnation, considering a race where tire management will be nothing short of delicate.
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Suddenly Norris
Watching the first qualifying sessions at Madring was somewhat reminiscent of those at Monte Carlo and Singapore, and not just because of the walls close to the white line. As always happens with newly laid asphalt, the track underwent constant and rapid evolution throughout qualifying, with times progressively dropping, making the last flying lap in Q3 decisive. And it was only at that point that Lando Norris emerged, with a McLaren that was not very bright in free practice, moreover with the handicap of the session lost on Friday afternoon due to a gearbox problem.
“I had clear ideas about what I wanted to do,” said the world champion, suggesting that he had tried the lap in pieces earlier, then put it all together when it was needed. Norris said he managed to do what he wanted, a sign of a well-balanced, predictable car capable of giving him confidence, qualities that are often rewarding among the walls of street circuits. The eleven thousandths given to Antonelli and worth the pole position also come from the pit wall’s choice to send Lando out third last, thus exploiting almost the best possible track conditions.
The Madrid pole position is the third in four races for McLaren. Apart from Monza, where the MCL40 mainly suffered from a lack of top speed, the papaya car continues to be extremely competitive when it comes to generating downforce in corners. In Spain, moreover, McLaren runs with the high-downforce rear wing that debuted at Zandvoort, temporarily giving up the flip-up version seen in action with the lower downforce wing at Monza. The only negative note remains Oscar Piastri, almost half a second behind, still showing poor harmony with the current generation of cars.
Ferrari, lost pole
Ferrari believed in it, but the dream of pole position vanished at the best moment. On the twisty Madring, the SF-26 was much closer to the top again, without paying too much for the lack of straight-line speed that was quite evident at Monza. However, when both cars finish less than two tenths from pole position, the handicap of the lack of horsepower from the engine cannot be ignored, which in this compact Formula 1 costs entire rows on the starting grid.
Despite this, Lewis Hamilton still tasted pole position for a few moments, then lost it on the second attempt. The multiple world champion made a mistake at the first chicane, perhaps affected by the tires, which the driver described as strange. It is hard to say if this is one of Sir Lewis’s usual excuses, but it is also plausible that not everything was done correctly in tire preparation during the out lap. Behind Hamilton will start Charles Leclerc, only 6 thousandths behind his teammate despite the disadvantage of not being able to use the ADUO-2 engine. His result increases the regret within Ferrari, capable of putting everything together, but not when it mattered.
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Mercedes returns to normal
Starting alongside Lando Norris in the race will be Andrea Kimi Antonelli. In both Q3 attempts, the pit wall chose to send its drivers out first, avoiding the risk of a yellow flag but also giving up the chance to exploit the track evolution, which could have overturned those 11 thousandths that cost the pole. In any case, Saturday’s Mercedes was not as incisive as seen on Friday, perhaps having less room for improvement from the initial base compared to the competition. The final picture for the Silver Arrows is normal, with a W17 inevitably not as dominant as at Monza, where it could leverage its top speed superiority, but still fighting at the top despite the ongoing absence of upgrades.
Behind Antonelli will start Max Verstappen, who confirms he is still close to the best, this time on a technically more demanding and complicated track than Monza. Red Bull has made great progress compared to free practice, continuing to give the impression of a very performing car when it manages to hit the operating window, a task of extreme difficulty. The limits of the hybrid software remain, which according to Verstappen does not distribute energy correctly over the lap, running short of power in the last sector.
The battle for fifth place among constructors continues. Alpine reiterates that it is back in the game with the late summer upgrades, capitalized this time by Franco Colapinto, author of a fine lap in Q2. The Argentine then prevailed over Arvid Lindblad, the main flag bearer of Racing Bulls, which awaits the return of Liam Lawson.
A race to decipher
On the eve, it was thought that qualifying would define much of the finishing order of the Grand Prix, a certainty, however, that has begun to waver. Free practice highlighted significant thermal degradation on the rear axle, but also evident graining on the front, due to asphalt so grippy that it grabs and tears the tire surface. Overtakes could thus become easier and it is not yet clear how many stops will be necessary. Also for this reason, teams have made different decisions on the compounds to bring to the race, with Ferrari and Verstappen, for example, running Q1 on medium tires to secure an extra set of softs for Sunday. No one knows exactly what to expect, forecasting a race that will have to be read, discovered, and interpreted in real time.
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