Overview
- Max Verstappen secured pole with a 1:22.207 in Q3, with Lando Norris +0.201 in P2 and Oscar Piastri third; George Russell and Charles Leclerc complete the top five.
- Franco Colapinto was eliminated in Q1 after track-limits deletions and will start 20th, as Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly and Lewis Hamilton also failed to advance.
- George Russell topped FP3 in 1:23.334 before a red flag triggered by Hamilton’s Turn 9 crash, which curtailed running late in the session.
- FP3 also saw pitlane contact between Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Yuki Tsunoda that caused damage but no injuries, adding to teams’ pre-qualifying repairs.
- The title will be decided Sunday between Norris (408), Verstappen (396) and Piastri (392) in the final race before the 2026 rules shift, with Norris clinching the crown with any podium finish.