F1 Spanish GP: Antonelli beats Verstappen as Norris loses out

Kimi Antonelli has won the 2026 Spanish GP at Madring, beating Max Verstappen by 4.351 seconds in a race decided partly by the timing of the Virtual Safety Car. For Indian F1 followers, the bigger talking point is how Lando Norris went from leading comfortably to finishing third after the VSC and a slow pitstop worked against him.

Antonelli’s eighth win of 2026

Antonelli extended his championship advantage to 81 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell. The win came despite a complicated race, with tyre management and overtaking proving difficult at the Madrid circuit.

His lead was eventually secure even though Verstappen and Norris were close behind and had Overtake Mode available. That makes the 4.351-second winning margin more notable, especially considering how little room there was for passing.

Norris loses the advantage at the pit stop

Norris started from pole and initially controlled the race, building a useful gap. The key moment came on Lap 15 when the Virtual Safety Car appeared just after he had passed the pit lane entry.

That allowed Antonelli and Verstappen to pit immediately, while Norris had to stay out for another lap. A slow stop then pushed him down to fifth before he recovered to the final podium position.

The main Spanish GP results

• Kimi Antonelli finished first by 4.351 seconds
• Max Verstappen finished second
• Lando Norris completed the podium in third
• Charles Leclerc finished fourth and George Russell fifth
• Liam Lawson took sixth for Red Bull

Hamilton’s retirement changes the points picture

Lewis Hamilton retired early after suffering a braking issue, despite making a strong start. He remains third in the championship, 20 points behind Russell, while Norris has moved to within five points of Hamilton.

Leclerc finished fourth, followed by Russell, while Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10. F1 now moves to Baku for the Azerbaijan GP from September 24 to 26.

Did you watch the Spanish GP, and was Norris unlucky with the VSC timing or should McLaren have handled the situation differently?