By: Victories in Formula 1 never happen by chance, and neither do pole positions. If a driver takes one, it could be seen as an isolated occurrence (as was the case with Pierre Gasly's pole for Alpine at Monza). But when they start becoming two or three, it means something is changing.
Lando Norris has taken three pole positions in 2026: the first in Hungary, the second at Zandvoort and the third in Madrid. These are very similar circuits, highlighting the great work and progress made by the Woking team since the start of the year. They are tracks on which the 2026 world champion has only missed out on victory at the Madring. That success slipped away solely because of the timing of the Virtual Safety Car.
Had the race run normally, without neutralisations, Lando would probably have won at a canter. The Briton was almost always the fastest driver on track, and losing the Grand Prix in that way was hugely frustrating for him.
Norris has no reason to be downcast
However, Norris has no reason to be downcast. A victory is always a victory, of course, but the 2026 world championship is now largely heading Mercedes' way and, for the Briton, winning or not winning in Madrid is merely a statistical matter, nothing more.
What we must acknowledge is the development and progress made by McLaren in recent times. The MCL40 has become very strong on slow, technical circuits, perhaps even the benchmark for the other cars, while remaining a good car on tracks that demand greater speed.
Norris has understood the rules of the game
But there is one aspect that cannot and must not go unnoticed: the incredible step Norris has made. Only Lando appears capable of taking the MCL40 to these levels, much as Antonelli does at Mercedes. It seems Norris has begun to understand the rules of the game and, after a learning phase, has started to get serious.
In this respect, Kimi Antonelli must be very careful. Not so much for 2026, a year that is following a path we could describe as favourable to the Italian's success, but above all with 2027 in mind. The Bologna-born driver has had two factors work in his favour this year: 1) having the best car on the grid; 2) managing to understand how to drive the new cars much earlier than everyone else. Until a few races ago, he was virtually the only one who knew how to do it.
Now, though, he must be careful. He will no longer be playing alone in the closing stages of the season and Norris, given what McLaren has been capable of in recent seasons, will use these final races as a test to refine his knowledge further and raise the bar for 2027. It will probably be a season which, especially if other drivers can make a significant step forward like Lando, will feature a very different title battle from the current one.
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Spain GP 2026
