Lewis Hamilton Lands Major Blow as McLaren's Piastri Stuns Norris in Sp...read more

Lewis Hamilton Lands Major Blow as McLaren’s Piastri Stuns Norris in Spanish Grand Prix

McLaren dominated qualifying at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, locking out the front row in one of their strongest performances of the season. Oscar Piastri pulled off a sensational final lap to snatch pole position from team-mate Lando Norris, beating him by over two-tenths of a second and intensifying their fierce title battle.

Piastri’s 1:11.546 lap stunned the paddock, confirming McLaren’s commanding pace throughout the weekend. Norris, who had held provisional pole, was forced to settle for second as the pair head up a McLaren 1-2 on the grid.

Max Verstappen was unable to challenge the McLaren duo, finishing third, three-tenths off the pace. He’ll start alongside George Russell, who matched Verstappen’s time to the thousandth but was placed fourth.

Lewis Hamilton bounced back from a shaky start to qualify fifth. After struggling in free practice and narrowly making it through Q1, Hamilton picked up speed in Q2 and ultimately outqualified team-mate Charles Leclerc for only the second time this season. Leclerc will start from seventh, behind Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli in sixth.

There was late chaos in Q1 when Franco Colapinto’s Alpine stalled at the pit exit, creating a traffic jam that ruined several drivers’ final laps. Colapinto failed to set a final time and was eliminated in 19th place.

At the back, Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda endured a nightmare session, ending up 20th and slowest of all.

2025 Spanish Grand Prix – Full Qualifying Results:

Position	Driver	Team	Time/Status
1	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:11.546
2	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.209s
3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.302s
4	George Russell	Mercedes	+0.302s
5	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+0.499s
6	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+0.565s
7	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.585s
8	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+0.653s
9	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	+0.706s
10	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+0.738s
11	Alex Albon	Williams	OUT IN Q2
12	Gabriel Bortoleto	Sauber	OUT IN Q2
13	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	OUT IN Q2
14	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	OUT IN Q2
15	Ollie Bearman	Haas	OUT IN Q2
16	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	OUT IN Q1
17	Esteban Ocon	Haas	OUT IN Q1
18	Carlos Sainz	Williams	OUT IN Q1
19	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	OUT IN Q1
20	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull	OUT IN Q1

How F1 Qualifying Works:

Formula 1 qualifying is split into three segments:

Q1: All 20 drivers compete; the five slowest are eliminated.
Q2: The remaining 15 fight for a spot in the top 10; another five are knocked out.
Q3: The fastest 10 battle it out for pole position and the front grid spots.

All eyes now turn to race day, where McLaren will aim to convert their front-row lockout into victory, while rivals like Verstappen, Russell, and Hamilton look to disrupt their plans.