Lando Norris shocks himself by pipping Kimi Antonelli to F1 Spanish GP pole

Proving that timing is all, not least in making a statement, Lando Norris kept his very best to last for a moment that must be considered close to Formula One perfection. His pole position at the sport’s newest circuit, the Madring, for the Spanish Grand Prix was so immense it left him shocked. Not least in that he had not threatened the top of the timesheets at any point over the weekend until the final lap of the final session, and then he was masterly.

On a circuit that has proved punishingly unforgiving with some major crashes, keeping it clean was vital, but for the top spot, absolute commitment and inch-perfect execution was the differentiator in threading the needle inside the looming walls of this high-speed challenge.

Norris had it nailed from nowhere, admitting it had all come together in one of those almost unworldly moments drivers occasionally experience, of instinct, touch, speed and judgment combining to remarkable effect.

It had to be to beat the championship leader, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who had showed his own flair and commitment, into second by one hundredth of a second, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in third.

“I’m a little bit surprised to be here now, but it was probably one of the best laps I’ve done in my career,” said Norris. “One of those laps where everything just came together. I had a good idea of what I wanted to do, but it was whether my brain let me do it on the last lap, and pretty much everything worked perfectly.

“One of those laps where you look at the lap time at the end, and you are like: ‘Oh shit, that was pretty good.’ For the last corner, I thought I was in the wall and the boys were going to have to repair the car tonight.”

Norris did just kiss up against the wall with his left rear on the final corner. The achievement was put in perspective by the McLaren team principal, Andrea Stella, an engineer not given to hyperbole at the best of times. “That’s a bit of masterpiece,” he said. “In the final corner he made a mistake of three-tenths. So he was on a just incredible lap. Definitely one of the best of his life until the last corner. He just realised what’s available in the car.”

That is was at such a challenging circuit made it all the more special, more so given how competitive the opposition were. Antonelli, Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth, had all been in the mix after the first runs in Q3, but it was Norris who found the edge.

Kimi Antonelli (left) will start second on the grid in Madrid, with Lando Norris (centre) on pole and Max Verstappen third. Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

After his outstanding victory from 19th on the grid at the last round in Monza, Antonelli leads Russell by 66 points in the championship. Hamilton is 76 points back in third place and Norris 96 adrift.

The pole may prove to be absolutely vital for him. The Madring is described as a street circuit, but it is made up of public roads and purpose-built track. It does, however, conform to street-circuit norms of being narrow and unforgiving.

The layout produces high speeds, but there have been real concerns from drivers that overtaking will be extremely difficult, especially with braking zones angled into corners, which makes passing enormously tricky. Leading cars will simply take to the middle of the track ensuring a move is unfeasible, making a procession on Sunday a real risk and track position, which Norris has, crucial.

Strategy will be key, as will calls made under flags both yellow and red, with the latter almost certain to play a part given the likelihood of stoppages to deal with the results of any driver errors or mechanical failures. It will also be informed by what is a high-grip, but also high-degradation, surface.

The Madring circuit in Madrid is known for being an unforgiving track. Photograph: Albert Gea/Reuters

The session was also a suitably tense, dramatic show and notable for proceeding without incident despite there being some major crashes over the weekend. The 3.365-mile circuit had been designed to be fast and a spectacle, but it is an enormously challenging and, as some have intimated, dangerous test. Quite how unforgiving was once more demonstrated in final practice when the red flags were brought out after Hamilton went into the wall as he locked up and hit the barriers nose-first at the final corner.

Britain’s Oliver Bearman also took a massive hit, having spun and slewed side-on into the concrete barriers at turn 10, wiping out the left side of his car. He was unhurt, but the damage was so bad his Haas team were unable to rebuild the car in time for qualifying.