Antonelli Wins Spanish GP as VSC Strategy Wrecks Norris's Race

Kimi Antonelli claimed his eighth victory of the 2026 campaign at the Spanish Grand Prix, Formula 1’s inaugural race at the Madring circuit, after a costly strategy call derailed polesitter Lando Norris’s afternoon. Norris built a commanding early lead before a virtual safety car intervention and a slow pit stop dropped him out of contention for the win.

Pirelli had predicted a 2.31-second gap between soft and medium tyres at the start, prompting second-row starters Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to gamble on the red-walled compound. Norris and Antonelli, starting alongside each other on the front row, opted for mediums instead.

Hamilton got the better launch off the line but found no room to attack into Turn 1. Chaos followed as both Antonelli and Verstappen cut Turn 2. The Mercedes driver handed the lead back to Norris immediately, doing so again through the next sequence of corners. Verstappen kept his advantage over Leclerc’s Ferrari.

Verstappen insisted he’d taken evasive action because of Hamilton’s driving, but Red Bull pushed him to avoid a penalty regardless. He let Antonelli and Hamilton through on lap four. Seconds later, Hamilton began reporting braking issues. He lost pace on lap five, ran off track on lap six, and retired after being repeatedly told to box.

By lap 10, Norris led Antonelli by five seconds, Verstappen by 11, Leclerc by 13 and Russell by 15. Liam Lawson sat a further 15 seconds back, heading the midfield group.

McLaren’s Strategic Misstep

A brake failure for Lance Stroll ended his race on lap 13 and triggered a virtual safety car. Antonelli, Verstappen and Russell all pitted, despite Russell starting on hard tyres alongside Leclerc and Piastri. Norris stayed out on mediums, Leclerc on hards.

Norris was called into the pits the moment the VSC period ended. Staying out was an option, but McLaren brought him in anyway, and a slow stop compounded the damage. He rejoined in fifth, 16 seconds behind Leclerc and 14 seconds off new leader Antonelli.

Antonelli caught Leclerc by lap 18 but held back from attacking, then started losing ground on lap 21. “I didn’t touch the wall, but the steering feels weird,” he told his engineers over the radio. By lap 25 his deficit had grown past three seconds.

Russell, who started on hards before switching to mediums, made a second stop on lap 28 of 57 to return to the white-walled tyre. He passed Lawson for fifth with an around-the-outside move on lap 35 but questioned his own strategy afterward. “Why did we pit? I think we could have held Norris off,” he said on team radio.

Antonelli’s gap to Leclerc hovered near three seconds for much of the middle stint, but the frontrunners bunched up by lap 45. Antonelli sat right behind Leclerc, while Norris pressured Verstappen for third. All four cars ran within four seconds of each other.

Leclerc’s Gamble Fails to Pay Off

Ferrari clearly delayed Leclerc’s only pit stop hoping for a safety car period, virtual or full. None arrived, and Leclerc finally pitted on lap 48. He emerged on fresh softs for a nine-lap sprint but found himself stranded between the leading trio and fifth-placed Russell.

The closing laps turned into a three-way fight for the win between Antonelli, Verstappen and Norris. Despite running nose to tail, none could complete a clean pass until the penultimate lap, when Verstappen cut the Turn 5 chicane after hitting backmarker traffic. Norris pressured him afterward but couldn’t force a move.

Antonelli pulled clear to seal his eighth win of the season ahead of Verstappen and Norris. Leclerc edged out Russell for fourth despite his late tyre advantage, and Lawson took sixth in his third race back with Red Bull.

Follow TipsGG for continued coverage of the 2026 Formula 1 season as the title fight tightens.