Lando Norris stunned by brilliant pole position at Spanish Grand Prix

Now, that is how you answer a messy start to a weekend. Lando Norris stormed to pole position in Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, leaving even the reigning World Champion completely stunned by his own pace.

Things did not look entirely straightforward for the McLaren driver on Friday, as a gearbox issue forced him to miss out on running during the second practice session. But Saturday brought a dramatic turnaround, culminating in a blistering Q3 lap time of 1m 31.824s that put Norris 0.011s clear of championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

“I’m shocked,” the McLaren driver said. “I’m a little bit surprised to be here now, but my god it was probably one of the best laps I’ve done ever in my career. Very, very happy, very proud, very happy for the team.”

It was a masterpiece of execution where everything clicked into place on the final run around the new Madring circuit. Norris admitted the adrenaline was pumping and that it required a conscious effort to relax and let the machine flow between the close-shading walls. He even confessed that a heart-stopping moment at the final corner nearly put him straight into the barriers, making him think the mechanics would have to work through the night to repair the car.

“It was pretty much perfect, bar the last corner – I thought I was in the wall, and I thought the boys were going to have to repair the car tonight,” he reflected.

Looking ahead to Sunday's race, where he will line up right in front of Antonelli and Max Verstappen, the polesetter was still caught up in the high of his qualifying masterclass. Admitting he was still thinking about the lap itself, he noted that the new venue will present a tough test with limited overtaking opportunities, though he acknowledged that a long race means anything can happen with such heavy hitters starting right behind him.

“I've given myself the best chance for tomorrow,” Norris said. “I don't think it's going to be the easiest track to overtake, but it's going to be possible and I've got two pretty quick, pretty good drivers behind me.”