Sprint Qualifying was sent to be a battle between the top three teams, and a battle it was, one that was ultimately won by George Russell in the Mercedes. However, Lando Norris was not far behind in second, and the top four were all separated by one tenth. Below is the full Sprint Qualifying report.
SQ1 Report:
The Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was the first to go out on track, however his first flying lap was not a clean one as the Mercedes driver took a trip through the gravel. He came out of the pits shortly after to make a second attempt, but he could only finish eighth. Both Red Bull drivers were ahead, with Liam Lawson notably in sixth, with four-time World Champion Max Verstappen behind in seventh. Yuki Tsunoda also had a strong showing, continuing into SQ2 in his first weekend driving the 2026 cars. Meanwhile, it was Charles Leclerc who was quickest, ahead of Lando Norris, and it appears it will be a battle between the top three teams for pole position.
The six drivers eliminated were Ollie Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, and Fernando Alonso.
SQ2 Report:
Oscar Piastri was the quickest McLaren in SQ2 ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, with the Ferrari and Mercedes drivers close behind. Verstappen is still struggling to challenge those top teams directly, at what is his last home race. Meanwhile, his temporary teammate Liam Lawson could not manage to make it through to SQ3, and neither could Yuki Tsunoda. However, Arvid Lindblad made sure he continued to impress with another appearance in the top ten shootout, and midfield runners Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto will also join him.
The drivers who were eliminated were Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Alex Albon.
SQ3 Report:
It looked to be a fight between Ferrari and McLaren for pole, but it was George Russell in the Mercedes who put together an impressive lap to secure P1 ahead of Saturday’s Sprint Race. The reigning World Champion Lando Norris was the first to go out and set a flying lap, and his time was quick enough to maintain second place. Meanwhile, his teammate Oscar Piastri could only manage fourth after looking like he could’ve challenged for pole, and Charles Leclerc is the driver who will line up beside him in third. Kimi Antonelli slotted into fifth after a challenging qualifying session for him, and Max Verstappen will start in arguably the best position he could’ve managed this weekend, with the Dutch man in sixth after qualifying ahead of his old rival Lewis Hamilton. Pierre Gasly was the best of the midfielders this time around, with the Alpine driver finishing eighth. Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top ten.
Now the focus will be on the Sprint Race, where eight points will be up for grabs in what will be a short but surely thrilling 24 laps.
