Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One (F1) Team driver Kimi Antonelli executed a masterclass racing strategy and won the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit.
Starting from the front row alongside polesitter McLaren’s Lando Norris, Antonelli maintained unrelenting pressure during an intense opening phase.
The race swung decisively during a mid-race Virtual Safety Car period, which allowed Mercedes to execute a flawlessly-timed pit stop.
Coupled with pit strategy setbacks for Norris, Antonelli assumed control of the grand prix.
Remarkable composure
Despite navigating unexpected steering wheel feedback and severe tyre degradation on Madrid’s high-grip asphalt, he demonstrated remarkable composure on hard-compound rubber to cross the line 4.3 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The outcome became Antonelli’s eighth triumph of the competitive season, and it has expanded his World Drivers Championship advantage to a substantial 81 points.
“It was a very difficult race, not straightforward at all, especially trying to manage tyres,” Antonelli said, as quoted by F1 news site.
“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. And other than that, it was a very strong race. I think especially on the hard at the end we had really good pace, and yeah, now we’re gonna keep pushing,” he added.
Misfortune for Norris
Meanwhile, when Norris asked about the results of the race, he said: “The VSC came out after I was already round the last corner.
“The others were very fortunate today or I was unfortunate, whichever way round you want to look at it.
“It’s F1, the race should be won by the best performance and good strategy, maybe going long, things like that.
“Today was just a rule that just benefits some people a lot more than other people. I know that’s racing, so I can’t be too against it.”
The F1 paddock now prepares for an intense triple-header schedule, commencing with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku from September 24 to 26.
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