The Australian topped all three sessions in a closely fought battle, setting a pole time of 1:11.546 to secure his fourth pole of the 2025 season.
Piastri said while his pole lap wasn’t perfect, he was glad to be starting from the front of the grid.
“It all just came to me in the first half of the lap and the second half I could just hang on,” he said. “It’s going to be an interesting one tomorrow and I’m pretty glad I’m starting on pole.”
“Last night we found some pace and today the car has been mega. I’ve been able to put some good laps in…It’s a great result.”
Norris had set the early benchmark in Q3, just 0.017s ahead of Piastri, seemingly gaining a slight tow from his teammate’s car exiting the final corner, a moment Piastri jokingly described over the radio as “cheeky.”
Despite his early advantage, he wasn’t able to match Piastri’s final run, ultimately finishing 0.209s behind.
It marks the first time since 1998, when Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard shared the front row, that McLaren will start 1-2 at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull, ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes and the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton.
Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso rounded out the top ten.
Alex Albon missed Q3 for only the second time in 2025, qualifying 11th, one spot ahead of the Kick Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto, who secured the best qualifying result of his young F1 career in 12th.
Liam Lawson, Lance Stroll and Oliver Bearman joined Albon and Bortoleto in being eliminated in Q2.
Q1 saw two big names eliminated, with the Williams of Carlos Sainz and Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda failing to make it out of the first qualifying session.
Sainz qualified in 18th, his lowest ever start for his home grand prix, while Tsunoda ended up a disappointing last.
Tsunoda complained over the radio about floor issues as he struggled with grip throughout the session.
Five different teams were eliminated in Q1, with the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg, the Haas of Esteban Ocon and the Alpine of Franco Colapinto joining Sainz and Tsunoda in the bottom five.
It was the second consecutive Q1 elimination for Colapinto, with the Argentine driver suffering an issue at the end of the session, pulling off the track at the end of the pit lane.
The Spanish Grand Prix starts at 3pm local time tomorrow (11pm AEST).
Results: Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying
| Pos | Num | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:12.551 | 1:11.998 | 1:11.546 | 14 |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:12.799 | 1:12.056 | 1:11.755 | 15 |
| 3 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:12.798 | 1:12.358 | 1:11.848 | 12 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:12.806 | 1:12.407 | 1:11.848 | 12 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:13.058 | 1:12.447 | 1:12.045 | 15 |
| 6 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:12.815 | 1:12.585 | 1:12.111 | 18 |
| 7 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:13.014 | 1:12.495 | 1:12.131 | 12 |
| 8 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:13.081 | 1:12.611 | 1:12.199 | 18 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:13.139 | 1:12.461 | 1:12.252 | 15 |
| 10 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:13.102 | 1:12.523 | 1:12.284 | 14 |
| 11 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:13.044 | 1:12.641 | 14 | |
| 12 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:13.045 | 1:12.756 | 12 | |
| 13 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:13.039 | 1:12.763 | 12 | |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:13.038 | 1:13.058 | 15 | |
| 15 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 1:13.074 | 1:13.315 | 15 | |
| 16 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:13.190 | 6 | ||
| 17 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | 1:13.201 | 9 | ||
| 18 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | 1:13.203 | 6 | ||
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Renault | 1:13.334 | 7 | ||
| 20 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:13.385 | 6 |
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