Norris and Antonelli on front row for 1st F1 race in Madrid in 45 years

MADRID (AP) — Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli are set to battle for victory at the first Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid in more than four decades on Sunday.

Norris will start from pole position with his McLaren alongside Mercedes' Antonelli, who had the fastest pace throughout the weekend but was beaten by a superb qualifying lap by Norris on Saturday.

Qualifying was crucial as the new urban Madring track yields virtually no overtaking opportunities, something that drew criticism from many drivers.

The start will be important as well at the 57-lap race in the Spanish capital.

Max Verstappen will start third for Red Bull, with a time one tenth of a second behind Norris, followed by the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who also showed good pace during the weekend.

It was the third pole of the season for Norris. He had won consecutive races in Hungary and in the Netherlands ahead of the Italian GP that Antonelli won last weekend. The 20-year-old Antonelli leads Mercedes teammate George Russell by 66 points in the drivers’ standings. Russell will start sixth on Sunday.

The two Spaniards on the grid will start toward the back. Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will start 17th with Aston Martin, while Williams’ Carlos Sainz will be 20th after being handed a penalty for impeding Valtteri Bottas’ Cadillac on the track.

Organizers expected a total attendance of nearly 350,000 people throughout the weekend.

The Spanish GP is returning to the Madrid region for the first time in 45 years. It last took place at the Jarama circuit in the capital’s outskirts in 1981. The Jerez de la Frontera track in southern Spain hosted races from 1986-90, and in 1994 and 1997. Barcelona has been hosting races in Spain the past few years. Madring signed a contract with F1 through 2035.

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