Norris takes Madrid pole with 'gorgeous' lap

Lando Norris took a superb pole position for McLaren at the Spanish Grand Prix, beating Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull's Max Verstappen in a breathless final few seconds of qualifying.

"Oh, what a lap, gorgeous," said an ecstatic Norris after pipping world championship leader Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds. "Oh, that might be my best one."

Verstappen was 0.140secs off the pace, as all three moved ahead of Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari in Madrid.

The seven-time champion had held the top spot after the first runs in the final session.

Hamilton's team-mate Charles Leclerc was fifth, ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri.

Norris' pole came from nowhere. He had been fifth in the first session of qualifying, seventh in the second, and 0.449secs slower than Hamilton's pace-setting lap after the first runs in the final session.

The world champion said: "I'm shocked. I'm a little bit surprised to be here. It was probably one of the best laps I've done ever in my career.

"One of those laps when everything came together. I had a good idea of what I wanted to do, it was whether it came together but my brain let me do it almost perfect. It's one of those laps when you look at the time and go: 'Oh, that was pretty good."