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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. |
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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. |
