McLaren looked like the cream of the crop going into the qualifying session for the Spanish GP. They dominated the practice sessions, and it looked as if it would be between the Papaya pair for pole position in Barcelona.
Throughout the first two sessions in qualifying, the McLaren pair were the fastest with a margin to spare. It was Oscar Piastri who took pole ahead of Lando Norris, which is vital for the Spanish GP.
Oscar Piastri beats Lando Norris to Crucial pole ahead of Spanish GP race
Lando Norris looked to have the edge over his Australian teammate in the first runs, beating Piastri by 0.017 seconds. However, Piastri struck back by beating Norris by over two tenths with a blistering lap. Norris looked like he had lost his tyres towards the end of the lap, and Piastri was able to keep them alive. And this pole position could be crucial.
Piastri was pleased with his lap, looking to put last season’s race behind him. He said: “Very happy, it has been a good weekend so far. The car has been mega, and glad to put in some good laps as well.
🥇| Oscar Piastri was all smiles following qualifying where he set the biggest pole margin of 2025:
“Very happy, it has been a good weekend so far. The car has been mega, and glad to put in some good laps as well,” he said.
“It was a pretty miserable scene [here] 12 months ago,… pic.twitter.com/g8FIjOoBsC
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) May 31, 2025
“It was a pretty miserable scene [here] 12 months ago, so to turn it around was good. It wasn’t the perfect lap, but happy with what I put in.”
Piastri has a long run down to turn 1 to keep his teammate behind him. If Norris can get in the slipstream of Piastri, turn one could be “interesting“. Piastri is under pressure this weekend as a loss to his teammate would give Norris the lead in the championship.
Max Verstappen and George Russell are the best of the rest
Behind the McLaren pair, the battle for third was hotting up. Max Verstappen was three tenths behind Piastri, but set a lap good enough for third. George Russell matched the lap time, but as he set the time after, Verstappen kept P3. Both had to pass Lewis Hamilton, who set a lap which had been good enough for third.
Kimi Antonelli was three tenths behind his teammate Russell, but managed P6, ahead of Charles Leclerc, who only set one lap early on. They headed Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar as home hero Fernando Alonso got into tenth after an impressive run in Q2 to get through.
One to watch! 📺
From a McLaren 1-2 to shock eliminations, qualifying served up a fascinating grid ⬇️#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/NlwsXzKPVd
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 31, 2025
Fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz had a disappointing day after exiting in Q1 and P18. However, Yuki Tsunoda in the Red Bull will start the race last, the second time a Red Bull has this season. The surprise of the day was Gabriel Bortoleto, who managed to put his Sauber in P12, five places ahead of his experienced teammate, Nico Hulkenberg.
With a few cars out of position, this race could throw up some surprises, and the run down to turn 1 will be exciting. But who will lead into turn 2? Comment below and let us know.
