Norris on pole, Hard tyre set to be central to tomorrow’s battle

It was Lando Norris who claimed the first pole position on Madrid’s new circuit, snatching it from Kimi Antonelli in the closing stages of qualifying. The reigning World Champion topped this afternoon’s session with a time of 1:31.824. The Mercedes driver secured second place with a 1:31.835, while Max Verstappen will start from third after stopping the clock at 1:31.964.

Qualifying took place in temperatures that reached 32°C ambient and 53°C on track. The Soft compound was the predominant choice throughout the session, although Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton opted to begin Q1 on the Medium. All the other drivers headed out immediately on the C4.

For Norris, it was his third pole position of the season. The McLaren driver improved his benchmark on his final flying lap, securing top spot at the end of a qualifying session that remained finely balanced until the very last moment.

During the third free practice session, the drivers focused primarily on qualifying simulations. Liam Lawson was the only driver to use the Hard compound, completing a seven-lap stint, while both Audi drivers ran the Medium: ten laps for Nico Hülkenberg and eight for Gabriel Bortoleto. The remainder of the field used only the Soft.

FP3 was interrupted by two red flags following incidents involving Hamilton and Oliver Bearman. However, the drivers were still able to complete a sufficient number of laps, as Race Control stopped the clock with around 15 minutes of the session remaining. At the end of the session, Antonelli was the fastest with a time of 1:32.797, ahead of Leclerc in second on 1:32.963 and Oscar Piastri in third with a 1:32.986.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by Diego Simeone, head coach of Atlético Madrid. As a player, the former midfielder won a UEFA Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, a Coppa Italia, a Copa del Rey, and league titles in both Italy and Spain. With Atlético Madrid, he holds the club’s record for the most matches managed.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Today’s sessions confirmed the strong performance level of the Soft compound. Despite the free practice sessions being affected by a lengthy interruption, the teams were able to evaluate different ways of using the C4, with some drivers managing to improve their lap times even within the same run, thanks to track evolution and increasing confidence with the circuit.

“For some drivers, a slight drop in performance was observed in the final sector, mainly due to overheating, but overall the red-marked tyre worked extremely well. In fact, compared to the simulations, the quickest qualifying times were around half a second faster.

“It was also interesting to see some teams choose to tackle Q1 on the Medium compound, thereby preserving a fresh set of Soft tyres for the race. The performance gap between the two compounds is clear, but not significant enough to prevent those with sufficient pace margin from progressing without immediately resorting to the softer option.

“The picture for Sunday remains very open. A one-stop strategy currently appears to be the most natural choice, given the difficulty of overtaking and the time lost in the pit lane. However, a two-stop strategy could still prove competitive if degradation remains at the levels observed on Friday.

“The most likely strategies revolve around the Medium-Hard and Medium-Hard-Hard combinations. The Soft-Hard and Soft-Hard-Hard alternatives are estimated to be around two seconds slower over race distance. The C2 is undoubtedly the most consistent compound, and the majority of drivers have preserved both sets for precisely that reason.

“Much will depend, however, on the possible deployment of the Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car, a scenario which, on a street circuit with barriers so close to the track, represents, as we have already seen during the previous sessions, a factor that must be taken very seriously.”

FORMULA 2

The Formula 2 Sprint Race in Spain was won by Ritomo Miyata. Emerson Fittipaldi crossed the line in second place, while Laurens van Hoepen claimed the final spot on the podium. The Formula 2 Feature Race is scheduled for Sunday.

FORMULA 3

The Formula 3 title battle is in the spotlight this weekend, with the category contesting its season finale. In the Sprint Race that opened the weekend, Ugo Ugochukwu managed to cut championship leader Freddie Slater’s advantage by three points, reducing the gap to 12. The Sprint Race was won by Theophile Nael, with James Wharton finishing second and Alex Powell completing the podium in third place.