Max third in Barcelona qualifying: 'We will see what we can do on Sunday'

Published on 31 May 2025 by Coen Versteeg

Max Verstappen qualified third for the Spanish Grand Prix. Thanks to an impressive final sector, Max managed to secure a spot on the second row of the grid. He will start alongside George Russell on Sunday, who clocked the exact same time. The front row is occupied by both McLarens. Oscar Piastri beat his teammate Lando Norris to claim pole position.

Max says: “We were lacking all weekend compared to McLaren, but I think we executed this qualifying well. Third position is where we more or less should be, even though it is quite close behind us as well. It is fun around here, squeezing everything out of the car. The grip is always quite good, even with the hot temperatures. Let’s see tomorrow what we can do from there.” When asked whether the team had to make major overnight changes to the car, he continues: “Not much. I think we had a decent Friday. We made some final changes to the car. Unfortunately, it was not enough to challenge for pole, but it is okay.” On the qualifying session, Max adds: “There just was not anything more in it. The balance was reasonably good, but I simply could not go any faster. Every time I tried to push a bit more, I had some understeer, oversteer, or both at once, so there was no more grip to find.” He also briefly looks ahead to the race. “I will give it my all, but the McLarens will be hard to beat. We will see what we can do tomorrow.”

At 4pm local time, the pit lane lights turned green and qualifying began. At the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Franco Colapinto (Alpine) was the first to set a time with a 1:13.8. The first serious benchmark came from Lando Norris (McLaren), who posted a 1:12.8 to go quickest. Shortly after, his teammate Oscar Piastri went even faster with a 1:12.5. Max was the last to go out. On his first run, he clocked an impressive second-fastest time, just 0.247 seconds off the quickest lap. The four-time world champion returned to the pits after his lap and did not head back out for a second run. For those still planning to go out again, there was a moment of tension in the pit lane. Colapinto stalled in the fast lane, blocking others. Eventually, most chose to drive around him. Colapinto did get going again but came to a stop later on track and did not advance to Q2. Max's Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate Yuki Tsunoda was also knocked out in Q1, along with Carlos Sainz (Williams), Esteban Ocon (Haas), and Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber).

In Q2, Max was early out on track to set a time. He improved by four tenths compared to Q1, recording a 1:12.3. Norris soon went quicker with a 1:12.0. Yet again, Piastri proved dominant, his first flying lap saw him dip below the 1:12 mark with a 1:11.9, the first of the weekend. Aside from the on-track excitement, eyes also turned to the skies as rain appeared to threaten unexpectedly, despite a forecast of 0% chance. However, everyone who wanted to run again was able to do so on a dry track. The top five, Piastri, Norris, Max, George Russell (Mercedes), and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), stayed in the pits. At the chequered flag, Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) secured a Q3 spot with an impressive sixth-fastest time. Missing out on Q3 were Oliver Bearman (Haas), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), and Alex Albon (Williams). Pierre Gasly (Alpine) just made the cut, three hundredths ahead of Albon in P11.

Under darkening clouds, Q3 got underway. Piastri was first to set a time, opening the battle with a 1:11.8, but Norris edged ahead by 0.017 seconds. Max’s first run yielded a 1:12.3, placing him fifth. Russell (1:12.0) and Leclerc (1:12.1) were just ahead of the 65-time Grand Prix winner. In the second run, it came down to the two McLarens for pole. Norris improved slightly, but Piastri stormed to pole with a 1:11.5. Max seemed to be slipping down the order, but thanks to a brilliant purple third sector, the four-time world champion secured third, 0.302 seconds off pole. Russell was the last to complete his lap and matched Max’s time exactly, but because Verstappen set it first, he retains the third grid slot.

Contest GP Spain: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing 2025 cap!

Results qualifying Spain: