Here comes Martin BrundleâÂÂs grid walk after a blast of flamenco. Max Verstappen says: âÂÂitâÂÂs warm, it will be tough on tyres.â Rafa Nadal is spotted, as Mrs Vinicius Junior strolls past. âÂÂThe energy will be unforgettable, and the new circuit will be unexpected.â HeâÂÂs cheering on Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso. âÂÂTheyâÂÂre going through hard times.â Vini Junior gets a quick word. âÂÂMy English is so bad.â That must be why he is not at Arsenal. Thibaut Courtois is here, very tall, and cheering on Lando Norris and Max Verstappen as both have Belgian blood.
Brundle seeks Jude Bellingham, who is not always a man for the mixed zone. But he speaks. âÂÂGood start to the season,â says Jude. âÂÂIâÂÂm here with Mercedes, Kimi and George, I have to pretend I understandâ¦.I am used to the PlayStarion, these guys are whipping up something with 40 buttons.â Jude is in good form, and wishes Brundle well. ItâÂÂs ram-packed out there. âÂÂMaybe the best lap heâÂÂs done,â says Zak Brown of LandoâÂÂs winning lap. ThereâÂÂs doubt that pole is the right side of the track. âÂÂI donâÂÂt know what to expect,â says George Russell. Brundle seeks Jose Mourinho but runs into Nico Hulkenberg on the way. And Ollie Bearman.
HereâÂÂs Jose. âÂÂLook, this is right next to where I work and I see the evolution of the track.I drove hereâ¦â HeâÂÂs cut off by the Spanish national anthemâ¦
Vinicius Junior, Bernardo Silva and Zinedine Zidane are all present, too.
Jose Mourinho and Rafa Nadal are in the garages, VIP access being enjoyed.
Carlos Sainz speaks: âÂÂI donâÂÂt think we will have a car to score points or to have an amazing race unless something big happens ⦠but IâÂÂll still enjoy every lap I do. I will give it my best and we will make it this the last year that I donâÂÂt have a competitive car in Madrid.âÂÂ
HereâÂÂs Giles Richardsâ report from qualifying.
On a circuit that has proved punishingly unforgiving with some major crashes, keeping it clean was vital, but for the top spot, absolute commitment and inch-perfect execution was the differentiator in threading the needle inside the looming walls of this high-speed challenge.
Driversâ standings after Italian GP, won by Antonelli.
1 Kimi Antonelli ð®ð¹ Mercedes 267pts
2 George Russell ð¬ð§ Mercedes 201
3 Lewis Hamilton ð¬ð§ Ferrari 191
4 Lando Norris ð¬ð§ McLaren 171
5 Charles Leclerc ð²ð¨ Ferrari 155
6 Max Verstappen ð³ð± Red Bull 127
7 Oscar Piastri ð¦ðº McLaren 116
8 Isack Hadjar ð«ð· Red Bull 71
9 Liam Lawson ð³ð¿ Racing Bulls 51
10 Pierre Gasly ð«ð· Alpine 41
11 Arvid Lindblad ð¬ð§ Racing Bulls 29
12 Franco Colapinto ð¦ð· Alpine 21
13 Oliver Bearman ð¬ð§ Haas 18
14 Gabriel Bortoleto ð§ð· Audi 10
15 Nico Hülkenberg ð©ðª Audi 6
16 Carlos Sainz ðªð¸ Williams 6
17 Alexander Albon ð¹ð Williams 5
18 Esteban Ocon ð«ð· Haas 3
19 Fernando Alonso ðªð¸ Aston Martin 3
20 Yuki Tsunoda ð¯ðµ Racing Bulls 1
Yet to score:
Lance Stroll ð¨ð¦ Aston Martin
Valtteri Bottas ð«ð® Cadillac
Sergio Pérez ð²ð½ Cadillac
Spanish GB qualifying
1 Lando Norris ð¬ð§ McLaren 1:31.824
2 Kimi Antonelli ð®ð¹ Mercedes 1:31.835
3 Max Verstappen ð³ð± Red Bull 1:31.964
4 Lewis Hamilton ð¬ð§ Ferrari 1:32.013
5 Charles Leclerc ð²ð¨ Ferrari 1:32.019
6 George Russell ð¬ð§ Mercedes 1:32.149
7 Oscar Piastri ð¦ðº McLaren 1:32.294
8 Liam Lawson ð³ð¿ Red Bull 1:32.316
9 Franco Colapinto ð¦ð· Alpine 1:32.903
10 Arvid Lindblad ð¬ð§ Racing Bulls 1:33.041
Eliminated in Q2
11 Nico Hülkenberg ð©ðª Audi 1:33.223
12 Gabriel Bortoleto ð§ð· Audi 1:33.388
13 Esteban Ocon ð«ð· Haas 1:33.667
14 Pierre Gasly ð«ð· Alpine 1:33.753
15 Yuki Tsunoda ð¯ðµ Racing Bulls 1:34.084
16 Alexander Albon ð¹ð Williams 1:35.532
Eliminated in Q1
â 17 Carlos Sainz ðªð¸ Williams 1:35.312
18 Fernando Alonso ðªð¸ Aston Martin 1:35.388
19 Sergio Pérez ð²ð½ Cadillac 1:35.913
20 Valtteri Bottas ð«ð® Cadillac 1:38.011
No time
Oliver Bearman ð¬ð§ Haas
Lance Stroll ð¨ð¦ Aston Martin
â Three-place penalty for impeding Bottas
It could barely have been closer in qualifying, with Lando Norris snatching pole by 0.011 seconds so what does Madring, the newest circuit in the championship, hold? A lot of unknowns to deal with.
To quote Giles Richards: âÂÂBilled as a street circuit, it is in fact a hybrid of roads and purpose-built track; narrow, with fast corners and walls looming for much of the lap, there is going to be virtually no margin for error.âÂÂ
Kimi Antonelli, the driversâ championship leader, is still at the front of the grid, so what does the race hold? WeâÂÂll start to find out at 2pm UK time.