Lando Norris of McLaren secured the Pole at the Spanish Grand Prix 2024 after a close battle against Max Verstappen. The British driver clinched his only second pole and first in the last three years after beating Verstappen in the final lap of the Q3 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona on Saturday.
McLaren racer registered a 1:11.383s finish in his final lap to finish ahead of Verstappen by two hundredths of a second. The seven-time winner Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes grabbed the third place ahead of his Mercedes teammate George Russell followed by two Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Spanish Grand Prix 2024 Grid:
- Lando Norris (McLaren) - 1:11.383
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1:11.403
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 1:11.701
- George Russell (Mercedes) - 1:11.703
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 1:11.731
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 1:11.736
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 1:11.857
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - 1:12.061
- Esteban Ocon (Alpine) - 1:12.125
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 1:12.011 (DNF)
Norris has emerged as the best option to challenge Max Verstappen in the recent races despite the Dutchman having a comfortable lead in the Drivers' Championship standings after eight races this season. Norris claimed his first Grand Prix win in Miami last month and has clinched 131 points so far. Verstappen dominated the standings with 194 points followed by Leclerc's 138 points ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
“It was pretty much a perfect lap,” said Norris after the qualifying session. “You know when you’re on a good lap when you’re getting excited, but the whole thing went perfectly in the end.
“So close, still, but super, super happy, one of… I think my best pole position. I’ve not had many, but out of the ones I’ve had, [this is] the best. We’ve been close all weekend, but really this was just about a perfect lap, and that’s what I did today.”
