Home · Sports · Sep 13 archive
Antonelli Wins First Grand Prix as Norris Loses Out Under VSC
Confirmed
In Short: Kimi Antonelli secured his first Formula One victory at the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, benefiting from a virtual safety car and McLaren's misfortune, while Lando Norris finished third.
Kimi Antonelli has taken his first Formula One victory at the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, capitalizing on a well-timed virtual safety car and a calamitous McLaren pit stop that robbed pole-sitter and early leader Lando Norris of a likely win.
Antonelli, who finished ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Norris, expressed his gratitude for the win but admitted that Lando Norris deserved it more, stating, '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.
Norris, who was leading with a six-second advantage, was unable to pit under the virtual safety car due to missing the entry point, and by the time he returned to the track, the VSC had ended, leaving him stranded on the track. Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton also gambled on the red-walled soft tires, but Antonelli's strategy paid off.
The win moves Antonelli to 292 points, closing the gap with his teammate George Russell, who finished fifth with 211 points. Norris, who finished third, reflected on the race, saying, 'The VSC was after I passed pit entry, there was nothing I could do.
What's confirmed
- Kimi Antonelli has taken his first Formula One victory at the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, capitalizing on a well-timed virtual safety car and a calamitous McLaren pit stop that robbed pole-sitter and early leader Lando Norris of a likely win.
- Antonelli, who finished ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Norris, expressed his gratitude for the win but admitted that Lando Norris deserved it more, stating, '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.
- Norris, who was leading with a six-second advantage, was unable to pit under the virtual safety car due to missing the entry point, and by the time he returned to the track, the VSC had ended, leaving him stranded on the track. Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton also gambled on the red-walled soft tires, but Antonelli's strategy paid off.
- The win moves Antonelli to 292 points, closing the gap with his teammate George Russell, who finished fifth with 211 points. Norris, who finished third, reflected on the race, saying, 'The VSC was after I passed pit entry, there was nothing I could do.
What's still developing
- Kimi Antonelli has moved a mighty step closer to the Formula One title after winning the first Spanish Grand Prix held at Madrid’s new circuit with a slice of luck on the side.
- “I feel like I drove a perfect race today, just luck wasn’t with me.” Antonelli twice had to give the lead back to Norris on the opening lap after going off and gaining an advantage in a battle through the opening corners.
- Verstappen also gained a place that he had to hand back to Antonelli and lost and gained position to Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who then suffered a brake problem that eventually forced the seven-time world champion to retire.
- Norris was more than six seconds clear with everything seemingly under control when Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll triggered the VSC by stopping on track on lap 14.
- Norris stayed out, then was called in as the VSC ended.
- Antonelli immediately gave the place back to Norris; Verstappen kept the position on Hamilton, then argued he had taken evasive action.
- Oscar Piastri, whose qualifying he called “pretty shocking,” finished eighth after front-wing damage from contact with Russell at the start and never matched Norris’s pace.
- The Mercedes championship leader claimed his eighth victory of 2026, holding off Max Verstappen and Norris to the flag.