Lando Norris on pole after ‘best lap ever’ – Firstpost

McLaren’s Lando Norris produced a mesmerizing late lap to deny Max Verstappen pole for the Spanish Grand Prix during qualifying on Saturday.

Lewis Hamilton will start on the second row alongside his Mercedes teammate George Russell.

Verstappen looked assured of starting the 10th round of the season on Sunday from the front of the grid.

But in the final penalty shootout in the top 10, Norris denied the Red Bull ace by just two hundredths of a second.

“Today was the perfect lap,” Norris said after only his second career pole.

“My best lap by far, I knew I had to do something perfect, it was probably my best lap ever.”

Norris produced his minute of magic after a “stressful” day in which the McLaren hospitality unit caught fire before third practice earlier.

“I lost my shoes. It was all a bit complicated. I like to listen to my music loud beforehand, but I didn’t have that this time. But it’s not the end of the world. I’m not going to complain about it.

Looking back on a vintage qualifying session, Norris, whose only other pole came in Russia in 2021, said: “It’s been a while since Sochi, back then.

“Max seemed a little stronger today, but we made some changes,” added the Briton who won his first Grand Prix in May in Miami.

“I’m really happy to be on pole, it’s going to be tough but we’re here to win!

Verstappen, who is aiming for a fourth consecutive world title, leads the championship by 56 points over Charles Leclerc, who starts Sunday’s race in fifth, with Norris seven points in third.

Verstappen won his first Grand Prix at Barcelona in 2016 and is on a hat-trick after victories in 2022 and 2023.

“I think the whole qualifying was better than the practice for me,” Verstappen said.

“Everything went much better. The other teams are catching up, we need to bring more performance to the car.

Hamilton was happy to find himself at the front of the grid.

“It’s good to be back here, great to see we’re making progress.

“We are gradually getting closer to the guys in front, it’s really on the knife’s edge.

“I’m really happy to be in P3 with this long straight before the first corner.”

It is the 10th round of the 24-race season and the first of a triple showdown with Austria and Silverstone over the next two weekends.