News Summary

Kimi Antonelli was unusually restrained in celebrating his eighth victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season, admitting that Lando Norris deserved to win the Spanish Grand Prix after controlling the opening phase of the race at Madring.

Antonelli started second and challenged Norris aggressively during the opening lap, twice leaving the track as the pair fought for the lead. Once the order settled, however, the McLaren driver began to pull away.

Norris had established an advantage of more than 6 seconds when Lance Stroll’s stopped Aston Martin triggered a Virtual Safety Car.

The timing transformed the race.

Antonelli, Max Verstappen and George Russell were able to pit under the VSC, while Norris had already passed the pit entry. By the time the McLaren driver completed another lap, racing had resumed.

A slow stop compounded Norris’ misfortune and dropped him behind Antonelli and Verstappen.

Antonelli eventually inherited the definitive lead when Charles Leclerc made his long-awaited stop and went on to win the inaugural Spanish GP at Madring, finishing 4.2s ahead of Verstappen. Norris was third.

The Mercedes driver nevertheless recognised that the result did not accurately reflect how the race had been unfolding before the VSC.

“It was a very difficult race, not straightforward at all, especially trying to manage tyres,” Antonelli said.

“It’s good to win, but it doesn’t feel as good because I think Lando today deserved to win. But overall, you know, we’ll take it.”

Kimi Antonelli admitted Lando Norris deserved to win the Spanish GP (Photo: Mercedes)

Antonelli’s assessment was supported by the pace Norris had shown before the interruption.

The reigning world champion had beaten Antonelli by only 0.011s to take pole position on Saturday and then controlled the race once the frantic opening-lap battles had ended.

Antonelli struggled more with tyre management during the first stint and was unable to stay within immediate attacking range of the McLaren.

Once Mercedes switched him to the hard compound under the VSC, however, the picture changed.

“Other than that, it was a very strong race,” Antonelli continued. “I think especially on the hard at the end we had really good pace, and yeah, now we’re gonna keep pushing.”

The victory was Antonelli’s second in consecutive weekends after his remarkable recovery at Monza and his eighth from the opening 14 Grands Prix of 2026.

It also strengthened his already commanding position in the Drivers’ Championship.

Antonelli now has 292 points and leads Russell by 81. The Mercedes team-mates have won 10 of the first 14 races between them, but Antonelli holds an 8-2 advantage in victories and has 11 podiums compared with Russell’s nine.

Lewis Hamilton is third with 191 points, already 101 behind Antonelli. Norris has moved to within 5 points of the Ferrari driver on 186, while Leclerc is fifth with 167 and Verstappen sixth with 145.

Despite the increasingly comfortable advantage, Antonelli rejected the idea of changing his approach to protect the championship lead.

“That’s exactly what I don’t want to do,” he said when asked about focusing on the title situation.

“I want to keep pushing race by race, keep delivering and keep enjoying it all the way and try to do my best every race and we will see where we end up at the end of the year.”

That approach is consistent with the position Antonelli has maintained as his championship advantage has grown.

Rather than calculating the minimum necessary to secure his first world title, the 20-year-old continues to insist on treating each Grand Prix independently.

The mathematics are nevertheless becoming increasingly favourable.

After Madrid, Antonelli is 81 points ahead of Russell, 101 clear of Hamilton and 106 ahead of Norris. He also has eight victories, giving him a substantial advantage in the first countback criterion should the championship eventually end with two drivers level on points.

His Madrid victory also came under very different circumstances from several of his previous successes.

Antonelli did not have the fastest package throughout Sunday’s race. Norris appeared capable of controlling the Grand Prix until circumstances intervened, and the Mercedes driver was the first to acknowledge it.

But Antonelli was in position to capitalise when the opportunity arrived.

The Italian avoided major damage during the chaotic opening exchanges, stopped at precisely the right moment under the VSC and then controlled the final stint on the hard tyres once Leclerc relinquished the lead.

The result was another 25 points — and an advantage of more than three Grand Prix victories over his closest championship rival.

Antonelli, however, has no intention of counting them yet.

“I want to keep pushing race by race,” he said.

Formula 1 now heads to Baku for the Azerbaijan GP on September 24-26.

FAQ

What did Kimi Antonelli say about Lando Norris after the Spanish GP?

Antonelli admitted Norris deserved to win in Madrid, saying: “It’s good to win, but it doesn’t feel as good because I think Lando today deserved to win.”

Why did Antonelli beat Norris in the Spanish GP?

Norris had been leading comfortably when a Virtual Safety Car was deployed just after he passed the pit entrance. Antonelli was able to stop under the VSC, while Norris pitted one lap later after racing had resumed and then lost further time through a slow tyre change.

What is Antonelli’s F1 championship lead after Madrid?

Antonelli leads the 2026 Drivers’ Championship with 292 points, 81 ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell. Lewis Hamilton is 101 points behind in third, with Norris 106 behind in fourth.