Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli wins the Spanish Grand Prix after a VSC and slow pit stop derail Lando Norris’ dominant race.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli claimed his eighth Formula 1 victory of the 2026 season at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday after a badly timed virtual safety car (VSC) turned a seemingly comfortable win for Lando Norris into a frustrating third-place finish at Madrid’s new Madring circuit.
Antonelli crossed the finish line 4.3 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, while Norris was forced to settle for third after the VSC and a slow pit stop dramatically altered a race he had controlled from the early stages.
Norris loses lead after VSC
Norris quickly established control of the race and built a lead of more than six seconds by lap 13, despite Antonelli struggling with front-left tyre graining.
The race changed on lap 15 when Lance Stroll crashed into the barriers.
The VSC was deployed shortly after Norris had passed the pit entry, allowing several rivals to make cheaper pit stops. Norris had to complete another lap before entering the pits, while a seven-second stop dropped him to fifth.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who had started on hard tyres and remained on track during the VSC, inherited the lead ahead of Antonelli and Verstappen.
Leclerc remained at the front until lap 48, when he finally made his first pit stop and emerged in fourth. Antonelli then moved into the lead and controlled the closing stages to secure his eighth victory of the campaign.
Antonelli extends championship lead
The result strengthened Antonelli’s advantage over Mercedes team-mate George Russell to 81 points in the championship standings.
“It was a very difficult race — not straightforward at all, especially trying to manage tyres,” Antonelli said.
“I think today it’s good to win but it doesn’t feel as good because I think Lando today deserved the win but overall, we take it.”
Antonelli added that Mercedes had shown strong pace on the hard tyres and said the team would continue pushing.
Verstappen secured second after successfully defending his position from Norris in the closing stages. The Red Bull driver, however, came under scrutiny from race control after cutting the track while defending.
Norris frustrated after strong recovery
The result was particularly disappointing for Norris, who had staged an impressive recovery after a difficult build-up to the race.
The McLaren driver missed much of Friday’s second practice session because of a gearbox problem and had to rely heavily on information gathered by team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Despite his limited track time, Norris secured a surprise pole position, edging Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds, with Verstappen qualifying third.
Antonelli twice ran off the circuit while attempting to pass Norris on the opening lap, briefly allowing Verstappen to move into second.
Verstappen was subsequently instructed to surrender positions after gaining an advantage off the track, before recovering third place by passing Lewis Hamilton on lap five.
Hamilton suffers early retirement
Hamilton’s Ferrari race ended prematurely after he reported that his brake pedal was going long.
The seven-time world champion dropped from fourth to 10th before retiring on lap seven after telling the team that he had no brakes.
Despite expectations of a chaotic race because of the Madring’s difficult corner entries, close barriers and limited overtaking opportunities, the only safety intervention came after Stroll’s crash.
Leclerc finished fourth ahead of Russell and Liam Lawson, while Franco Colapinto took seventh. Piastri finished eighth, with Arvid Lindblad and Nico Hulkenberg completing the top 10.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix next
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is next on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, with the race scheduled for September 26 on the streets of Baku.