Kimi Antonelli moved another step closer to his goal of the 2026 World Championship by capitalising on a pit‑stop mishap that befell Lando Norris, securing the win at the opening Spanish Grand Prix held at the iconic Madrigán circuit. Norris, who had turned his pole position into a commanding early lead, appeared to be on course for a comfortable victory.
The British driver built a six‑second advantage over Mercedes rookie Antonelli and seemed set to repeat the dominance he displayed at recent races in Hungary and Zandvoort. However, the race dynamics shifted dramatically on lap 14 when a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed after Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll stopped his car in a runoff area. The VSC presented an opportunity for a "cheap" pit stop, but timing proved crucial.
Norris had just crossed the pit‑lane entry when the VSC was activated, meaning McLaren could not immediately bring him in. By contrast, both Mercedes and Red Bull were still on track and could take advantage of the reduced speed zone to service their drivers. Antonelli and Max Verstappen each entered the pits during the VSC, while Norris was forced to continue circulating at a reduced pace while marshals cleared Stroll’s stranded car.
McLaren finally pitted Norris at the end of the following lap, but the VSC had already ended, restoring full racing speed to the field. The delayed stop also proved costly because the tyre change took a full seven seconds, far longer than the typical pit‑stop window under normal conditions.
When Norris rejoined the race, he found himself in fifth place. Undeterred, Norris displayed his usual speed, clawing back positions quickly. He surged past several rivals and eventually settled into third place, trailing Antonelli, who was now leading, and Verstappen in second.
Despite his best efforts, Norris could not find a passing opportunity past the Red Bull driver in the closing stages, leaving him to settle for a podium finish. Behind the leaders, the rest of the field shuffled as well. George Russell, driving the second Mercedes, finished fifth after a long‑running Ferrari of Charles Leclerc took fourth. Antonelli’s win expanded his championship lead to a season‑high 81 points, with nine races still to contest.
The Italian driver modestly reflected on his triumph, saying, "I think today it's good to win but it doesn't feel as good because I think Lando deserved the win, but overall we take it." Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton suffered a severe brake failure within the first seven laps, marking his first retirement of the season and effectively ending his championship hopes as he now trails the leader by 101 points. Further down the order, Red Bull’s Liam Lawson claimed sixth, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto seventh, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri eighth.
Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad finished ninth, while Audi’s Nico Hülkenberg took tenth. The top ten standings were therefore: 1) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 2) Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 3) Lando Norris (McLaren), 4) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 5) George Russell (Mercedes), 6) Liam Lawson (Red Bull), 7) Franco Colapinto (Alpine), 8) Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 9) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), 10) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi). Earlier in the race, before the VSC, Norris had seemed poised to repeat his recent dominant performances, extending his lead to six seconds over Antonelli. At the start, Antonelli was pressured by the championship leader and briefly lost positions after cutting a chicane under braking, but he quickly yielded the lead back to Norris.
He attempted to overtake again at the next chicane but was forced onto the runoff area, allowing Norris to pass once more. Verstappen also managed to slip past during the same sequence, dropping Antonelli to third.
Red Bull later instructed Verstappen to fall back behind Antonelli and Hamilton after Hamilton had gained an advantage by briefly running off‑track at turn one. Verstappen disputed the team’s rationale over the radio, claiming he had no alternative but to go wide, yet he complied with the order. Norris continued to build his gap, leading by 3.2 seconds over Antonelli when Verstappen fell back on lap four. By lap nine his advantage had stretched to five seconds, and it grew another second by the time the VSC was triggered.
Ironically, the very speed that had given Norris a comfortable lead became his undoing, as he was already past the pit entry when the VSC began, preventing an immediate stop, while his rivals could pit under the safety conditions. After the race, Norris accepted the outcome on team radio, saying, "Just take it on the chin. We were too quick, that's all. Very unlucky today, guys, we should have won." McLaren CEO Zak Brown echoed the sentiment, telling Sky Sports F1, "That was our race by 20 or 25 seconds.
He was dominant, he was gone. Managing, great tyre wear – a league of his own." When Norris finally made his delayed, slow pit stop, he rejoined behind Russell in fifth place.
The Mercedes team then pitted again, further reshuffling the order and making Antonelli’s win appear almost inevitable, even with 40 laps remaining. However, Antonelli did not take the lead until the end of lap 48 because Ferrari elected to keep Leclerc on hard tyres, hoping another safety‑car period would allow a strategic advantage. That scenario never materialised. As Leclerc’s pace began to fade, Antonelli closed in, but the tight nature of the Madrigán circuit limited overtaking opportunities, forcing the Mercedes driver to stay behind the Ferrari.
This allowed Verstappen and Norris, both on faster machinery, to close the gap to the leaders. Once Leclerc eventually pitted, Antonelli found clear air and began to pull away, eventually finishing four seconds ahead of Verstappen. Norris, despite his speed, could not pass the Red Bull driver, securing a third‑place finish. Reflecting on his victory, the 20‑year‑old Antonelli cautioned against looking too far ahead, stating, "That's exactly what I don't want to do.
I want to keep pushing race by race, keep delivering and keep enjoying it all the way and try to do my best every race and we will see where we end up at the end of the year." The weekend’s action sets the stage for the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which will kick off a triple‑header of races from September 24‑26, with the Baku event taking place on a Saturday. Fans can continue to follow the live coverage on Sky Sports F1 or stream via NOW, with flexible subscription options available.