Oscar Piastri secured his fourth pole position of the season at the F1 2025 Spanish GP Qualifying, leading a sensational McLaren front-row lockout ahead of teammate Lando Norris. Max Verstappen and George Russell rounded out the top four in a thrilling session at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Q1: Piastri Sets Early Pace as Big Names Exit
The qualifying session kicked off with increasingly hot and humid conditions, with track temperatures hitting 48 degrees Celsius. Most drivers waited before heading out, but once on track with soft tires, Oscar Piastri immediately set the benchmark with a 1m 12.551s. This put him two-tenths clear of Max Verstappen, with Lando Norris just 0.001s behind the Dutchman.
The session saw early exits for several notable drivers. Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon were pushed into the elimination zone. Carlos Sainz also faced disappointment, exiting in P18. Franco Colapinto suffered an issue in the pit lane, preventing him from improving and placing him P19, while Yuki Tsunoda brought up the rear in P20.
Q2: Piastri Maintains Edge, Albon Narrowly Misses Q3
Q2 continued at a fast pace, with Piastri once again proving quickest. After Verstappen initially set the pace, Norris took provisional P1 before Piastri went even quicker, beating his teammate by 0.058s with a 1m 11.998s lap.
Drivers at risk included Gabriel Bortoleto, Liam Lawson, Alex Albon, Lance Stroll, and Ollie Bearman. Ultimately, Albon narrowly missed out on Q3 by just three-hundredths of a second, finishing P11. Bortoleto, Lawson, Stroll, and Bearman were also eliminated in Q2.
Q3: McLaren Lockout in Thrilling Final Moments
The top 10 shootout in Barcelona delivered an exciting battle for pole. Piastri initially set a strong time of 1m 11.836s. However, Norris then surged through, bettering his teammate’s effort by 0.017s with a 1m 11.819s to claim provisional pole.
In the final flying runs, Piastri delivered a “storming lap” of 1m 11.546s to reclaim the fastest time, going 0.209s quicker than Norris, who had a slightly scruffy outing. This secured a McLaren front-row lockout.
Max Verstappen and George Russell set identical times, but Verstappen was awarded third place as he set his lap first, putting Russell in fourth. Lewis Hamilton was the lead Ferrari in fifth, followed by Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) completing the top 10.
Formula 1 2025 Spanish GP Qualifying Results:
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1:11.546
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:11.755
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 1:11.848
- George Russell (Mercedes) – 1:11.848
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 1:12.045
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 1:12.111
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1:12.131
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 1:12.199
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 1:12.252
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 1:12.284
- Alexander Albon (Williams) – 1:12.641
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 1:12.756
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 1:12.763
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 1:13.058
- Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 1:13.315
- Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) – 1:13.190
- Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 1:13.201
- Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 1:13.203
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 1:13.334
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 1:13.385
What’s Next:
The 2025 Spanish Grand Prix is scheduled to begin at 15:00 local time on Sunday. who’s gonna take the to step tomorrow? Can Piastri fend off his rivals, or is it going to be Norris, or Max? We will keep you posted on the Barcelona battle.
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