F1 Spanish GP: Kimi Antonelli claims victory once more as VSC spells trouble for Lando Norris

Kimi Antonelli triumphed in the Spanish Grand Prix, marking Formula 1's inaugural race at the Madring, as polesitter Lando Norris’ race was disrupted by tactical decisions.

Norris initially pulled away with ease in the early laps, but he pitted immediately following a virtual safety car period, which set him back far enough to forfeit the win.

Rough beginning as leaders take shortcuts

Pirelli estimated a 2.31m variance between soft and medium tyres at the outset, making it intriguing that second-row starters Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton opted for the red-walled compound, unlike polesitter Norris and Antonelli beside him.

Hamilton had a better start but found himself without space to mount an attack into Turn 1, leading to some (mild) chaos. Both Antonelli and Verstappen bypassed Turn 2, but while the Mercedes driver relinquished the lead back to Norris immediately (and did so again in the subsequent corners), his Red Bull teammate maintained his lead over the Ferrari.

Verstappen firmly contended that he had to take evasive measures because of Hamilton’s erratic driving, but Red Bull insisted he should avoid incurring a penalty, so Verstappen allowed Antonelli – whom he was now ahead of – and Hamilton to pass on lap four.

Moments later, the seven-time world champion began voicing concerns about braking issues. He started losing speed on lap five, went off track on lap six, and retired after being urged repeatedly to pit.  

By lap 10, Norris was leading Antonelli by five seconds, Verstappen by 11 seconds, Charles Leclerc by 13 seconds, and George Russell by 15 seconds; Liam Lawson trailed by an additional 15 seconds, heading the ‘midfield’.

McLaren and Norris’s tactical misstep

An additional brake issue, this time affecting Lance Stroll, removed the Canadian from the race on lap 13 and triggered a virtual safety car. Antonelli, Verstappen, and Russell pitted – despite Russell having started on hard tyres, similar to Leclerc and Piastri – while Norris and Leclerc opted to remain out on mediums and hards respectively.

Race leader Norris was called in just as the VSC period concluded. He could have stayed out but chose to pit and, compounding his misfortune, experienced a slow stop. The McLaren driver rejoined in fifth place – 16 seconds behind Leclerc and 14 seconds off the lead pitter Antonelli.

Predictably, the Italian caught up to Leclerc as early as lap 18, but he refrained from launching an attack and began to fall back on lap 21. “I didn’t hit the wall, but the steering feels odd,” Antonelli communicated to his team. By lap 25, he was over three seconds behind.

Russell, who began on hards and switched to mediums, made a second pitstop as early as lap 28 of 57 to revert to the white-walled compound. He went on to seize fifth from Lawson with an outside maneuver on lap 35, but remained unconvinced by his strategy. “Why did we pit? I believe we could have held Norris off,” the Mercedes driver remarked.

Lance Stroll triggered the virtual safety car

Meanwhile, Antonelli’s gap to Leclerc consistently remained around three seconds, but by lap 45, the frontrunners were closing in on one another. Antonelli was now directly behind Leclerc, while Norris was pressuring Verstappen for third, with those four drivers within four seconds of each other.

Leclerc bides time for a safety car – to no avail

At this point, it was evident that Ferrari was postponing Leclerc’s sole pitstop in hopes of a safety car – whether virtual or not – but none came, and the Monegasque pitted on lap 48. He was fitted with soft tyres for a nine-lap sprint but emerged in a no man’s land between the top three and fifth-placed Russell.

The race's conclusion saw a three-way battle for victory among Antonelli, Verstappen, and Norris. Despite being very close to each other, none could mount a significant challenge – until the penultimate lap, when the Red Bull driver cut the Turn 5 chicane after encountering backmarker traffic, with the reigning champion unable to capitalize on the situation.

Antonelli ultimately pulled away to secure his eighth win of the 2026 season against his Red Bull and McLaren competitors. Leclerc narrowly clinched fourth place from Russell despite the new soft tyres on the Ferrari; Lawson finished sixth in his third race back at Red Bull.

Pierre Gasly completed an extensive 55-lap stint on hard tyres to hold seventh place for a considerable duration, hoping for a late race neutralization, but had to pit under green flag conditions and finished 12th at the chequered flag.

Gasly’s Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto secured seventh after starting on mediums and switching to hards during the early VSC.

Following a qualifying performance he called “pretty shocking,” Oscar Piastri secured eighth place in a race where he sustained front wing damage early on due to contact with Russell at the start. The Australian never matched his teammate’s pace.

Arvid Lindblad and Nico Hulkenberg earned the remaining points for Racing Bulls and Audi, finishing ahead of 11th-placed Esteban Ocon for Haas. These three drivers, along with Colapinto, pitted during the VSC, demonstrating this was the optimal strategy.

Among the last seven drivers in the standings, Alex Albon was the only one to capitalize on a cheap pitstop – the others missed their chance.

Local fans were likely disappointed by a collision between Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz over 17th position, which damaged the Aston Martin’s front wing, while the Williams driver received a five-second penalty.

Alonso finished in that exact position, while Sainz was one of four retirements alongside Sergio Perez, Stroll, and Hamilton.

Photos from F1 Spanish GP - Sunday