F1 Spanish GP LIVE: Piastri laments ‘shocking’ quali lap; Norris on front row

Hannah KennellyUpdated September 13, 2026 — 10:41pm,first published 10:13pmKey PostsHave your say: Who will win the Spanish GP?By Hannah KennellyLatest Posts10.41pmThe all-important weather update By Hannah KennellySun, sun and more sun. It is clear skies in Madrid and the sun is shining down. Check out some of the pictures below Lando Norris celebrates pole.AP Photo/Bernat ArmangueThe Madring is the newest track on the calendar.AP Photo/Manu Fernandez10.28pm‘No margin for error’: Everything you need to know about Madring By Hannah KennellyThis weekend marks the first time F1 has raced at the Madring – the first track to debut on the F1 calendar since Las Vegas was added in 2023The Spanish GP in Madrid is a hybrid street circuit.AP Photo/Manu FernandezThe 57-lap circuit is is 5.44km and has incredibly fast corners and basically no margin for error, with limited overtaking opportunities. Turn eight – “El Bunker” – is named after La Mata Espesa, two bunkers built in 1936 by the Republican forces to protect the eastern flank Madrid from attack during the Spanish Civil War.So what do the drivers think? Mercedes driver George Russell previously described the Madring as “the most risky” on the F1 calendar, while Lewis Hamilton has characterised the ring as a “massively challenging circuit”. Meanwhile, Alpine driver Pierre joked that he’d hit the wall multiple times during his simulation trials for the new track. Have your say: Who will win the Spanish GP?By Hannah Kennelly10.04pmOscar Piastri’s season goes from bad to worse By Oscar Piastri’s increasingly underwhelming F1 2026 season has taken another bad turn in Madrid with a “pretty shocking” qualifying lap at the Spanish Grand Prix.Oscar Piastri’s unlucky season continuesGetty ImagesThe Australian’s hugely disappointing seventh-place finish in qualifying on the new Madring street circuit came as teammate Lando Norris delivered a pole-grabbing lap hailed by McLaren’s team boss as a “masterpiece”.The world champion produced his dazzling lap in the sunshine seemingly from nowhere, clocking a 1 minute 31.82 seconds circuit to beat Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011 of a second, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen third and Ferrari’s ‌Lewis Hamilton fourth.Piasri – who was n early a half a second behind his teammate – said he was disappointed with the result, but said his eyes are looking to 2027. 9.59pmWelcome By Hannah KennellyGood evening folks and welcome back to our F1 live blog.I’m Hannah Kennelly, and I’ll be guiding you through the Spanish GP – for the first ever F1 race at the new Madring in Madrid.Reigning world champion Lando Norris is pole, while Oscar Piastri’s season has taken another downturn with a “pretty shocking” qualifying lap.Lights out at 11pm folks.1 of 1