Kimi Antonelli won the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix at an all-new street track in Madrid after bad luck struck race leader Lando Norris, who qualified first and led at the start.
The result further expands Antonelli’s lead in the championship over Mercedes teammate and chief rival George Russell, from 66 points to 81, with nine more races to go this season.
Antonelli, who turned 20 last month, is well-positioned to become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. Ever since Mercedes built the strongest car in the new era of F1 this year, he has consistently outperformed the 28-year-old Russell, who began the season as the betting-odds favorite for the title.
In Madrid on Sunday, Antonelli inherited the lead from Norris after taking advantage of an ill-timed “virtual safety car” for the McLaren driver. Norris finished third, behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, his championship rival last year.
“It’s good to win, but it doesn’t feel as good. I think Lando today deserved the win,” Antonelli said in a postrace interview. “But overall, we’ll take it.”
The Italian, racing in his second F1 season, insisted he wasn’t thinking about the title and had no plans to let his foot off the gas.
“That’s exactly what I don’t want to do,” Antonelli said. “I want to keep pushing, race by race. Keep delivering, keep enjoying all the way and trying to do my best every race. And then we’ll see where we end up at the end of the year.”
Norris, the reigning Formula 1 world champion, controlled the race at the start as Antonelli and Verstappen had excursions off track and had to give up positions. They settled back into second and third place after Lewis Hamilton retired with what a Ferrari official called a brake system issue.
But in a twist of bad luck, Norris lost the lead due to an ill-timed “virtual safety car” that helped his rivals get a cheap pit stop for fresh tires. Norris then had a slow pit stop under green-flag conditions and lost three positions. The VSC was brought out by Lance Stroll hitting the barriers on Lap 14.
In a strategic gamble, Ferrari kept Charles Leclerc out on worn tires, hoping to make up time later in case the race slowed down due to a safety car. But it never happened. Leclerc led for much of the race but finished fourth after making his pit stop on Lap 49.
Russell finished fifth, scoring 10 points to Antonelli’s 25 points.
The drivers raced for 57 laps around the Circuito de Madring, a track with 22 turns near central Madrid, featuring tight, twisty corners as well as long sections where drivers are fully on the gas.
Overtaking proved difficult, especially toward the end on old tires. The top three were separated by a few seconds in the final few laps, as Norris challenged Verstappen and got close numerous times — but couldn’t find a way past him.
“Just luck not on our side. I gave it a good fight to try and catch up with Max. But difficult to pass,” Norris said. “A tough race, one that just got away from us.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff agreed, saying on the Sky Sports broadcast after the race: “The race god was with us.”
On Lap 13, Spanish drivers Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz made contact into a heavy braking zone. A fiery Alonso took to team radio to accuse Sainz of squeezing him into the wall ahead of a chicane. Sainz was given a five-second time penalty.
“The chicane is scary,” Antonelli told Verstappen and Norris in the cool-down room before the podium celebration. “Especially when you’re behind cars.”
