MASTERCLASS FROM MCLAREN MASTERCARD IN MADRING QUALIFYING

MEDIA RELEASE/McLaren Mastercard – Photo: supplied

The McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team secured the first-ever F1 Pole Position at the Madring after converting steady progress across the weekend into a decisive performance in the closing stages of Qualifying. Despite missing Friday’s final practice session because of a gearbox issue, Lando Norris delivered an impressive 1m31.824s lap to take Pole for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix, while papaya teammate Oscar Piastri qualified P7.

The team had been close to the leading pack throughout the weekend and worked methodically using the data collected in each session to step by step unlock the car’s performance when it mattered most in the closing stages of Q3. Lando delivered a very strong final lap to take Pole by 0.011s, despite losing around three tenths in the final corner. Therefore, with encouraging performance in the car, the team heads into Sunday’s inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring excited by the opportunities ahead.

Today’s Pole Position sees Lando and the team take their third of the season, and is the 11th secured by McLaren at the Spanish Grand Prix across the years. It is the 180th in the team’s history.

Prior to Qualifying, running was once again limited during Free Practice 3, with a lengthy Red Flag following Lewis Hamilton’s incident before Oliver Bearman also made contact with the wall in the closing stages. Despite the disrupted session and reduced mileage, Oscar and Lando made good use of the available track time, finishing P3 and P4 respectively.

With attention turning to Qualifying, both drivers began Q1 on new sets of Soft tyres, and settled quickly into their programmes. This saw Oscar complete a long run phase while Lando boxed to make some minor adjustments before heading back out to set his lap. As the session progressed, the field remained on track to take advantage of the improving conditions and complete multiple flying laps. Lando and Oscar both progressed safely to Q2, finishing the opening phase in P5 and P8 respectively.

Both cars started Q2 on new Soft tyres, initially adopting a single-push-lap approach. With representative times on the board, Lando returned to the track on a used set and improved as the circuit evolved, securing P7. Oscar switched to a fresh set of Softs for his final run, safely progressing to Q3 in P9.

With both MCL40s through to Q3, the team split the tyre strategy for the opening runs. Lando headed out on new Softs, while Oscar completed his banker lap on a used set of Soft tyres. Both drivers then returned to the track on fresh Soft tyres for the final runs of the afternoon. Despite the lack of running due to being unable to take to track in the final Friday session with a gearbox issue, Lando set a purple first sector and delivered a lap of 1m31.824s to secure Pole Position for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix. Oscar completed his final effort 0.470s behind, qualifying P7 for Sunday’s race.

The team will work hard overnight to prepare for the first Grand Prix at the Madring, with a particular focus on understanding the race characteristics of the new circuit in race conditions. Having missed Friday’s second session, Lando heads into Sunday without extensive long-run mileage under his belt, making this an important area of analysis. On Oscar’s side, attention will turn to maximising the pace of the car and identifying the best strategic opportunities to gain positions from P7.

In the McLaren Driver Development Programme, Matteo De Palo gained a place in the FIA Formula 3 reverse grid Sprint Race at the Madring, finishing P12. The Italian then started the first of the two Feature Races in Spain in P13. At Silverstone, Grégoire Saucy qualified P10 in the LMP2 category, with Richard Verschoor in P3 in the LMP2 Pro/Am category. In Round 5 of the F4 CEZ Championship in Brno, Ella Häkkinen finished P14 in Race 1 and crossed the line P11 in Race 2.

Lando Norris #1

FP3 1m33.033s (+0.236s) 13 laps 4th tyre sets used: 2 Soft

Q1 1m33.469s (Soft) 5th

Q2 1m32.873s (Soft) 7th

Q3 1m31.824s (Soft) 1st

“I’m incredibly proud of that lap. It was one of those moments where everything clicks and you’re able to extract exactly what you set out to achieve. The car felt strong, I felt confident, and that final lap was as close to perfect as I’ve managed around this circuit. To secure Pole position for the first Formula 1 race at the Madring makes it even more special. A big thank you to the team for all their hard work. We’ve put ourselves in the best possible position for tomorrow and now the focus is on converting that into a strong result on race day.”

Oscar Piastri #81

FP3 1m32.986s (+0.189s) 12 laps 3rd tyre sets used: 2 Soft

Q1 1m33.829s (Soft) 8th

Q2 1m33.204s (Soft) 9th

Q3 1m32.294s (Soft) 7th

“P7. I’m a bit disappointed with that one. Overall, it was a bit of a messy session and the car felt nicer in FP3 than it did in Qualifying. We improved it a bit through the three Qualifying sessions, but I didn’t have that last bit we needed in the last run. The first lap of Q3 on used tyres was okay, but my final run on new tyres wasn’t good enough. Around this track, once you’re out of rhythm it’s very hard to get it back, and needing two sets in Q1 put on the back foot a bit.

“The positives are that the car is fast and Lando’s Pole shows what’s possible when you hook it up. For tomorrow, tyre degradation is a bit of a question mark after the graining we saw in practice, and overtaking won’t be straightforward, so it’ll come down to strategy and staying out of trouble. We’ll review everything as a team tonight, keep it clean, and try to make the most of our pace in the race.”

Andrea Stella Team Principal

“Today’s Pole position is a masterpiece from Lando and a fantastic reward for the entire team’s hard work. We knew the potential was in the car, but we had to work diligently all weekend to unlock our performance in the low-speed corners. Lando’s lap was at the level of a World Champion, and the most incredible part is that he secured Pole despite a three-tenth mistake in the final corner, which shows just how much pace we truly had. It’s a testament to his talent, especially after missing a practice session, and to the brilliant work from everyone at the track and back at the factory to give him that confidence.

“While we are thrilled with Pole, we are not entirely satisfied as we feel there was more to be achieved with Oscar, who was unfortunately just a fraction away from a much higher grid slot in this incredibly tight field. Looking to the race, there are many unknowns for everyone. We have very limited data on high fuel and tyre behaviour, which will make for an uncertain and entertaining race for the fans. Starting from the best possible position is a huge advantage, but we know we will have to master all the variables tomorrow to convert this into a strong result.”

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