Lando Norris admitted he was shocked by his own performance after producing what he described as one of the best laps of his Formula 1 career to claim pole position at the Madrid Grand Prix. The reigning world champion beat Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds in Q3, securing the first-ever pole position at the Madring and his third pole in the last four races.
The result was even more remarkable considering Lando Norris had not completed a single minute of FP2 on Friday because of a gearbox problem. Data from his pole lap also showed that the McLaren driver could potentially have gone even faster, having lost around two tenths of a second at the final corner.
Lando Norris produces a champion’s lap for Madrid pole
Neither Mercedes nor Ferrari ultimately took the honours in the first qualifying session held at the Madring. Instead, it was Lando Norris who delivered the decisive performance in the closing moments of Q3, narrowly denying Kimi Antonelli and continuing the strong form he has shown during the 2026 season.
The McLaren driver has already spoken about how he has developed into a stronger Formula 1 driver in 2026, and his Madrid pole provided another striking example of his confidence when the pressure was highest.
Lando Norris himself appeared almost unable to believe what he had achieved when he spoke to David Coulthard in the traditional post-qualifying interview for the top three drivers.
“I’m shocked, I’m a little surprised to be here right now,” Lando Norris said. “My God, that was one of the best laps I’ve ever done in my entire career. I’m so happy. I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do, the only unknown was whether my mind would allow me to do it. This is one of those laps where at the end you look at the lap time and say, ‘Oh, f***, that was amazing.’”
Norris almost hits the wall on near-perfect Q3 lap
The lap was almost flawless, but Lando Norris came close to throwing everything away at the final corner. The McLaren briefly stepped out and the British driver believed he might end up in the wall, potentially leaving his mechanics with a damaged car to repair overnight.
Instead, he kept control and crossed the line quickly enough to beat Kimi Antonelli by only 11 thousandths of a second. It was another important qualifying performance for a McLaren team that has been working to eliminate the remaining weaknesses of its 2026 car, with Lando Norris previously arguing that solving its low-speed limitations could transform McLaren’s competitiveness.
“The adrenaline was through the roof on the final lap,” Lando Norris added. “You have to relax and just let it happen. The car felt good, so I felt comfortable on the track.”
“It was pretty much all perfect apart from the final corner. I thought I was going to end up in the wall and the guys would have to repair the car tonight, and instead… It was one of those moments where you’re in a state of total flow.”
Third pole in four races underlines Norris’ 2026 form
The Madrid result gave Lando Norris his third pole position in the space of four Grands Prix and came despite an interrupted Friday programme that deprived him of valuable track time on a completely new circuit.
His qualifying performance also strengthens McLaren’s position as the team continues to apply pressure to Mercedes during the second half of the season. Further developments are already part of McLaren’s plans, with the team targeting Mercedes with additional upgrades around the upcoming Baku weekend.
For Madrid, however, Lando Norris has already achieved the best possible starting position. After missing FP2, nearly losing the car at the final corner and beating Kimi Antonelli by the smallest of margins, even the reigning world champion appeared surprised by just how good his decisive lap had been.
