Oscar Piastri returned to the top in Barcelona, securing his fourth pole position of the season.

The battle between him and his main rival, Lando Norris, proved to be a close one, with the ever-quick Verstappen once again posing a serious threat to McLaren’s drivers. But it was Oscar who, on his final flying lap in Q3, went quickest — and the telemetry data reveals exactly how he pulled it off.

McLaren still in command

Following the introduction of a new technical directive on front wings — which many expected could shake up team performance — qualifying showed that little has actually changed. McLaren clearly remained the team to beat, with Verstappen close behind and an impressive George Russell taking P4, defying expectations that Mercedes would struggle in the Spanish heat.

Interestingly, this was the largest gap between P1 and P2 in qualifying so far this season. Norris ended up just over two-tenths behind Piastri, underscoring how close and competitive this year’s qualifying sessions have been.

Even on Friday, it was clear the new directive wouldn’t be enough to topple the Papaya team from the top. Norris was fastest in FP1, while Piastri led both FP2 and FP3.

So, where did Piastri find the time?

Telemetry data shows that it was actually Lando who gained the upper hand at the very start of the lap. While their Sector 1 times were nearly identical, Norris had the edge through both Turn 1 and Turn 4. Interestingly, Piastri had generally been stronger in the first sector throughout most of the weekend.

More reaction from qualifying in Barcelona

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After Turn 4, Norris had a lead of around 0.15s — but Turn 7 proved crucial. Lando had begun losing ground in Turn 5, but it was in Turn 7 where Oscar made his biggest gain, one he carried to the chequered flag.

The Australian was slightly earlier off the throttle but quicker back on it, and that made all the difference.

Norris showed more steering input in both Turn 7 and Turn 9, again where Piastri extended his lead.

The third sector was finely balanced, but Piastri had the edge once again — enough to cement pole in Spain.

As for Verstappen and Russell — they remarkably set identical times in Q3, a rare occurrence. In such cases, the driver who sets the lap earlier gets the position, in this case that was Max.

Russell had a very strong first sector — after Turns 1 and 2, the gaps between the top three were almost negligible. It was Turn 4 where Oscar pulled clear, a medium-speed, front-limited corner that plays right into McLaren’s strengths. Their superior front-end stability allowed Piastri to gain and then hold the advantage for the rest of the lap

Despite McLaren’s clear pace advantage, we shouldn’t count out Russell or Verstappen for the race. Red Bull, in particular, showed solid race pace during FP2 — and with a clever strategy, they’ve got every reason to aim for the top step on Sunday.

What Can We Expect from the Race?

The fact that McLaren has locked out the front row certainly gives them more strategic flexibility. However, the run down to Turn 1 in Barcelona is one of the longest on the calendar, meaning the race start will play a crucial role in determining who secures the best position to fight for the win.

FP2 highlighted McLaren’s excellent performance on the medium tyres. On a circuit like Barcelona — which places enormous stress on tyres — keeping them within the optimal temperature window is vital.

McLaren has managed this better than anyone else so far this year. Put simply, anything other than a win would be a disappointing result for the British squad.

Another intriguing element will be how the team handles the intra-team strategy. We’ve rarely seen Piastri and Norris truly go head-to-head in race conditions so far this year, so it’s a chance to see how McLaren manages its drivers when the stakes are highest. No doubt they’ll have learned plenty from last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

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