Spanish GP 2025
MAY 31, 2025
Qualifying Report - Piastri takes commanding pole in Spain
© McLaren
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri delivered a commanding performance in qualifying for the 2025 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, beating team-mate Lando Norris to secure his fourth career pole position.
The Australian and his British counterpart were closely matched through the early stages of Q3. Norris initially held the upper hand by just 0.017s after the first flying laps, setting a 1m11.819s to Piastri’s 1m11.836s. However, Piastri struck back in the final run with a lap of 1m11.546s, courtesy of a superb second sector, giving him a two-tenth advantage and top spot on Sunday’s grid.
red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ George russell ended up with identical times of 1m11.848s, with Verstappen securing third on the grid by virtue of setting the lap first. Lewis Hamilton took fifth in the lead Ferrari, outpacing both team-mate Charles Leclerc and his Mercedes replacement Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Leclerc completed only one run in Q3, settling for seventh. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly qualified eighth in a strong showing, while Isack Hadjar continued his impressive run with ninth place for racing Bulls. Fernando Alonso thrilled the home crowd briefly with a run that temporarily put him fifth, but he ended up 10th after the final Q3 laps played out.
In Q2, Piastri was the first to dip below the 1m12s mark, leading Norris and Verstappen. Williams narrowly missed the top 10, with Alex Albon classified 11th, just 0.030s behind Gasly. rookie Gabriel Bortoleto impressed again with 12th in the Sauber. Liam Lawson, Lance Stroll, and Oliver Bearman completed the Q2 dropout list.
Q1 saw little trouble for the front-runners but proved punishing for others. Carlos Sainz was a high-profile casualty in 18th, disappointing his home fans. Franco Colapinto could not make a final run due to a technical issue, while red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda suffered a shock elimination and will start last after failing to string together a competitive lap.
Piastri’s pole puts him in prime position for Sunday’s race, with McLaren poised to extend its recent dominance.