Winners and losers from the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix
Antonelli extended his championship lead after a virtual safety car helped him capitalize on Mercedes’ quick pit call.
- On Sunday, Kimi Antonelli clinched his eighth win at the new Madring circuit, extending his Drivers' Championship lead to 81 points after starting second and inheriting the lead from Charles Leclerc.
- A poorly timed Virtual Safety Car shifted race dynamics in Antonelli's favor as he settled behind the yet-to-stop Charles Leclerc, while Mercedes' speedy pit-call decision caught McLaren unprepared during the critical window.
- Norris took pole position, held the lead off the start, and built a solid advantage over the first 14 laps with exceptional tyre management; Antonelli acknowledged afterward that Norris deserved victory more than he did.
- Lewis Hamilton struggled with brake failure requiring his race engineer Carlo Santi to stop the car, while Carlos Sainz collided with Yuki Tsunoda at Turn 1 then Fernando Alonso at Turn 5, dampening local enthusiasm.
- Antonelli's commanding 81-point lead raises questions of when rather than if he clinches the title, though Mercedes boss Toto Wolff emphasized that buffers can rapidly shrink after crashes or retirements.
13 Articles
13 Articles
This time, Kimi Antonelli didn't have to work too hard for his Formula One victory.
The 2026 F1 Spanish Grand Prix, the 14th race of the season, was held on Sunday, September 13th, at Madring in Madrid, with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli taking the victory. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) came in second and Lando Norris (McLaren) came in third, sharing the podium at the inaugural Madring race. The timing of the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) greatly influenced the outcome of the race, and Norris, who had dominated the race from pole posi…
Luis Manuel “Chacho” López, a sports journalist, commented that the Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), leader of the championship, won the Spanish Grand Prix, the fourteenth of the Formula One World Cup and...
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