"It’s been a whole Ollie Bearman since McLaren last started from pole in Barcelona": F1 pundit on the special nature of Lando Norris' pole position

Renowned F1 analyst Will Buxton recently shared a special characteristic of Lando Norris' pole at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix. Buxton revealed that McLaren's latest pole at Barcelona is only the second pole since the British team's pole position back in 2005, the year of Oliver Bearman's birth.

Despite being one of the most successful F1 teams in history, McLaren are barely a shadow of their past selves now. They spent most of the last decade in the midfield, living off their legacy. However, they witnessed a resurgence in late 2023 as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, along with the team of engineers, helped revive the team.

Their further improvement helped Norris claim his first F1 GP win in Miami this season, followed by a brilliant pole position in Spain on Saturday. The pole put the Woking-based team's car in the #1 position of the starting grid for the first time in 20 years.

This led Buxton to bring out the interesting comparison to Bearman's age to emphasize the importance of the team's pole position. He wrote on X,

"My favourite stat from today is that it’s been a whole Ollie Bearman since McLaren last started from pole in Barcelona. Born on race day for the 2005 Spanish GP, the Haas reserve and Ferrari super sub is now a measurement of time."

Bearman is one of the brightest stars in F1 right now. As Buxton mentioned, Bearman has been making headlines as a Ferrari Academy driver following his scintillating debut in Saudi Arabia, driving as a replacement for Carlos Sainz.

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Lando Norris beat Max Verstappen for the pole in Spain

Lando Norris beat Max Verstappen in a thriller at Circuit de Catalunya to claim the 2024 Spanish GP pole.

2nd placed qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Pole position qualifier Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren - Getty Images

With this, the Briton claimed the second pole position of his career after beating the defending champion by just two-hundredths of a second. Reflecting on it, he said (via F1):

"It was pretty much a perfect lap. You know when you’re on a good lap when you’re getting excited but the whole thing went perfectly in the end, so close still but super, super happy, one of – I think my best pole position."

Norris' last pole position was in Sochi, during the 2021 Russian Grand Prix. Now, three years later, he claimed the same feat after recording a stunning 1:11.383 on the timesheet.

Unfortunately, the British driver failed to convert his pole into a win in 2021. It will be interesting to see if history repeats itself for Lando Norris or he can claim the second GP win of his career.