Antonelli Wins Formula 1's First Madrid Grand Prix after the VSC Turns the Race
Kimi Antonelli won at Madring by 4.351 seconds from Max Verstappen, with pole-sitter Lando Norris third after a Virtual Safety Car and slow pit stop changed the first Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.
ViPeople Motorsport DeskPublished Updated 10 min read
Photograph: Formula 1 official media
Audio articleListen to this storySerena (Enhanced) · English UK
Kimi Antonelli won Formula 1's first Spanish Grand Prix at Madring in 1 hour 34 minutes 23.754 seconds. Max Verstappen finished 4.351 seconds behind and Lando Norris took third at 5.089 seconds after a race that changed during an early Virtual Safety Car.
Norris started from pole and led the opening laps. Antonelli attacked immediately, Verstappen joined the fight, and the first lap established the pressure that would remain even after strategy moved the order. Antonelli's eighth victory of the season extended his championship lead over George Russell to 81 points.
Lando Norris led from pole before the Virtual Safety Car and a slow stop changed his race.Photograph: Formula 1 official media
Norris controlled the opening stint
Norris held the lead through Antonelli's first-corner attempts and built a margin of about 4.5 seconds. Antonelli stayed second once Red Bull returned the opening-lap positions, with Verstappen close behind and Charles Leclerc and Russell inside the leading group.
Lewis Hamilton briefly ran near the front before a brake problem pulled the Ferrari backwards. The team retired him after six completed laps. His exit removed one part of the contest, while Norris still appeared to have the pace and tyre condition needed to manage the race from the lead.
Max Verstappen held second place through the closing laps as Norris searched for a way past.Photograph: Formula 1 official media
The Virtual Safety Car created the decisive window
Lance Stroll stopped at Turn 20 on lap 13 with a suspected brake problem. The Virtual Safety Car allowed Antonelli, Verstappen and Russell to pit at reduced racing speed. Norris stayed out initially, then the race returned to green before he reached his own stop.
McLaren's tyre change lasted about seven seconds. Norris emerged fifth behind Leclerc, Antonelli, Verstappen and Russell. Two losses had arrived together: the rivals gained from the VSC timing, and the slow stop added more time once Norris reached the pit lane.
Leclerc remained on track without stopping and inherited the lead. Ferrari extended that stint in the hope that another Safety Car or red flag could create an opportunity. Antonelli held the effective race lead behind him while managing a steering concern that Mercedes could not identify in the data.
Charles Leclerc stayed out through the first pit cycle and led until his late stop for soft tyres.Photograph: Formula 1 official media
Antonelli kept the race under control after Leclerc stopped
Russell made a second stop on lap 28, which helped Norris move into the leading chase. Leclerc continued until lap 48 before changing to soft tyres. That released Antonelli into the official lead with Verstappen and Norris close enough to keep the final laps active.
Norris closed on Verstappen and drew alongside after the Red Bull cut the Turn 5 chicane in traffic on the penultimate lap. The move did not hold. Verstappen kept second to the flag and Antonelli opened the finishing margin to more than four seconds.
Antonelli's eighth win of the season extended his championship lead to 81 points.Photograph: FIA official event media
Madrid produced a full top ten across seven teams
Leclerc finished fourth and Russell fifth. Liam Lawson took sixth in his third weekend back with Red Bull. Franco Colapinto scored seventh for Alpine, Oscar Piastri recovered from first-lap front-wing damage to finish eighth, and Arvid Lindblad and Nico Hulkenberg completed the points.
Four drivers retired. Hamilton and Stroll stopped with brake-related problems. Sergio Perez retired the Cadillac after 31 laps with a suspected water-system issue, and Carlos Sainz's home race ended after 43 laps.
2026 Spanish Grand Prix result
Pos
Driver
Team
Time or gap
1
Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
1:34:23.754
2
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
+4.351
3
Lando Norris
McLaren
+5.089
4
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
+29.116
5
George Russell
Mercedes
+29.829
6
Liam Lawson
Red Bull
+1:26.746
7
Franco Colapinto
Alpine
+1:34.281
8
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
+1:35.839
9
Arvid Lindblad
Racing Bulls
+1 lap
10
Nico Hulkenberg
Audi
+1 lap
The championship gap grows before Baku
Antonelli leads the drivers championship with 292 points. Russell is second on 211, followed by Hamilton on 191, Norris on 186, Leclerc on 167 and Verstappen on 145. Mercedes also leads the constructors table with 503 points, ahead of Ferrari on 358 and McLaren on 306.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix runs from 24 to 26 September. Antonelli will arrive with the largest cushion in the field and another win built through pace, immediate strategic response and control after the decisive pit cycle.
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