It was a fierce intra-team duel at McLaren as Oscar Piastri clinched a sensational pole position ahead of team-mate Lando Norris in Qualifying for the Spanish GP. The McLarens had dominated every practice session, with Piastri topping FP3 and both drivers trading fastest laps throughout qualifying. Ultimately, it was Piastri who edged out Norris in the third segment of qualifying, claiming F1 pole position for the Spanish GP with a time of 1:11.836.
Norris had looked to be on course for pole after going fastest on his first run in Q3, but a slightly scruffy final lap left him settling for P2—still an excellent result for McLaren, who locked out the front row.
“Oscar drove very well. I think the pace is definitely there. Just a couple of little mistakes, but yeah, didn’t do it. And Oscar, like I said, was driving well all weekend. So, a good result for the team, a nice one-two, and an interesting start for tomorrow,” said Norris, speaking after Qualifying.
When asked about his pole-losing final lap, Norris gave a candid assessment of what went wrong.
“Just a couple little mistakes. Turn 1 – which is kind of the first place you don’t want to make a mistake, just because it harms the rest of the lap with the tyres and things. So just a couple of little squiggles there and the exit of Turn 4 as well. So just not a perfect lap, not the cleanest lap, but still improved, surprisingly. So the pace was easily there. Just a couple too many mistakes.”
Spanish GP Qualifying shows McLaren’s strength
Despite the small errors, Norris remains confident in his qualifying development, referencing progress he’s been working on throughout the season.
“Yeah. The speed was easily there today. And sometimes you just don’t put the laps in. Today was good. I think I was a little bit behind at the start of qualifying and I caught up nicely. I know where I lost that time on the final lap. It was just trying a little bit too much and just not being quite tidy enough – especially around a lap like Barcelona.
“One little oversteer in Turn 1, Turn 2, you kind of already know it’s going to be a tricky rest of the lap. So, it’s still good. I still feel fine. I’m happy with second, especially in Barcelona – it’s not the end of the world. So, a positive weekend.”
Norris and Piastri were also asked about a moment during Q3 when Norris appeared to attempt to take a tow from his teammate. While Piastri referred to it as “cheeky,” Norris insisted it was all incidental.
“We planned it the whole weekend! No. I didn’t know Oscar was going out first, to be honest. I tried to get a slipstream from someone. I think I was unlucky that it was Oscar. It was just a coincidence. I was tenth or something in the queue. I don’t know who I’m going to get a slipstream from because you’re waiting two minutes in the pit lane. So yeah, just coincidence.”
“[The tow?] Hard to say. It was short-lived, but rightly so. So no, don’t think so.”
Looking ahead: Norris seems confident
With Piastri now leading a McLaren front row and just three points separating the two in the Drivers’ Championship, Norris is anticipating an intense contest on Sunday—but he wouldn’t mind a simple one.
“I mean, hopefully not. Hopefully it’s just an easy race for me. But no, I expected it. It’s a long run down to Turn 1 — normally always interesting. I mean, we’ve got a lot of quick guys behind us, so we won’t count them out. But no, good result for today. I’m happy.”
Looking ahead to race day, Norris expressed full confidence in McLaren’s long run pace and tyre management, despite the high temperatures that made tyre life a challenge for all drivers in qualifying.
“Yeah, good. We’ve been good in all conditions so far. It’s obviously very hot. So, like Oscar said, just a bit of a struggle for everyone. It’s a struggle in quali to look after the tyres for one lap, so the race is then much trickier. But the car has been good the whole weekend, as you’ve shown today. So yeah, that’s always reassuring before Sunday.”
Asked directly if he had a strong race car underneath him, Norris grinned and replied:
“We do. We have the best one.”
