Madrid - Qualifying

For the first time ever, Formula One visited the track in Madrid. As is often the case with new circuits, the weekend was filled with crashes, uncertainties, and surprises. The latter, especially, could be seen during Saturday's qualifying hour. 

Not all teams decided to use their soft tires to try to set a time that would allow them to move on to the second qualifying session. Both Ferraris, as well as Max Verstappen, set early times on mediums and promptly drove into their respective garages, feeling safe enough not to go out again. Although none of them achieved the best time of the session, that honor went to Kimi Antonelli; they were comfortably far from the elimination zone. The same could not be said about Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Oliver Bearman, and Lance Stroll, all of whom found themselves in the elimination zone. The last two did not set any times during the session. 

Verstappen set the best lap during the first runs and stayed on top until the end of Q2, only improving on his time. None of the top drivers struggled to make it into the third session, leaving few spaces for the midfielders to fight for their shot at starting in the top ten. Neither of the two Alpines set lap times in the first half of the session, so there was a lot of pressure on them as they appeared on track with only a few minutes to spare. While Pierre Gasly was not quick enough to secure a spot in Q3, the same could not be said about his teammate, Franco Colapinto, who soared up to P8. Nico Hulkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda, and Alex Albon joined the Frenchman in the bottom six.

As Q3 began, it seemed like it would turn into yet another battle between the two Mercedes. Things changed when Lewis Hamilton completed his first timed lap and soared to the top of the standings. All cars opted to spend the middle part of the session in the garages, coming out only when less than five minutes was left on the clock. Although at first it looked like improving would be a challenge, Antonelli did manage to take the provisional pole from Hamilton, raising the benchmark for all other drivers. He wasn't, however, the fastest man that day. To the surprise of many, Lando Norris found a lap better than that of any other contender and, not for the first time this season, took the pole. 

Order of the grid:

1. Lando Norris

2. Kimi Antonelli

3. Max Verstappen

4. Lewis Hamilton

5. Charles Leclerc

6. George Russell

7. Oscar Piastri

8. Liam Lawson

9. Franco Colapinto 

10. Arvid Lindblad

11. Nico Hulkenberg

12. Gabriel Bortoleto

13. Esteban Ocon

14. Pierre Gasly

15. Yuki Tsunoda

16. Alex Albon

17. Carlos Sainz

18. Fernando Alonso

19. Sergio Perez

20. Valtteri Bottas

21. Oliver Bearman

22. Lance Stroll