Wolff Admits Mercedes’ Pole Ambition Overshadowed by Norris’ Qualifying Strike

Mercedes Formula 1 team principal Toto Wolff briefly believed Kimi Antonelli had secured pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix — until Lando Norris snatched it away.

Antonelli markedly improved on his opening Q1m32.140s lap during his second Q3 run at the new Madring circuit, clocking a 1m31.835s and outpacing every rival by at least 0.178s.

All, but one. Norris, whose first effort was a 1m32.525s, vaulted himself to the top spot with a 1m31.824s, despite what McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described as a three-tenth deficit incurred at the final corner.

Wolff admitted he hadn’t seen it coming — but chose to look on the bright side when asked whether the result represented a lost pole position or a gained second place.

“It’s gained, looking at it that way,” Wolff told Austrian broadcaster ORF. “Before the weekend, I never believed we’d be at the front on this track layout.

“When Lewis crossed the line, it seemed clear we were winning this. And then Lando puts in a lap like that under conditions that suddenly got so hot, where he is so good at managing rear overheating. It’s flawless.”

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

McLaren had been slower than Mercedes across all practice sessions and qualifying segments prior to Q3, so Wolff did not expect the dramatic shift in performance.

“That surprised us, too,” he said. “But Lando has shown in the past that he can occasionally pull out a lap like that. Especially when it comes to getting a handle on rear axle overheating as best as possible. And in that regard, I think he’s in a league of his own.”

Asked how he expected the race to unfold, Wolff notably pointed to the wider title battle. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes’ main challenger for the drivers’ championship, currently trails Antonelli by 76 points, while George Russell sits just 10 points ahead of his former teammate.

“The most important thing is that we don’t crash into anything; that wouldn’t be good for the cost cap,” he pointed out. “And not losing points to Lewis and Ferrari. I think here you have to score, drive home, hopefully end up on the podium, hopefully ahead of Lewis. Then we’ve reached our goals.”

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