MADRID, Spain — Kimi Antonelli has boosted his title ambitions with victory in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit.
The Mercedes driver edged Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris in a race swayed by strategy.
The opening laps saw plenty of clashes up and down the field, with Norris narrowly holding onto the lead from pole position as Antonelli cut two corners during his concerted efforts to pass the Briton.
Antonelli ultimately didn’t need to overtake him on track thanks to a Virtual Safety Car, which played perfectly into Mercedes’ hands but ruined Norris’ chances for victory.
A tale of contrasting pit stops unfolded as the Italian gained the net race lead while a slow change dropped Norris behind both Antonelli and Verstappen.
Despite expressing worries with his steering, the 20-year-old inherited control of the race once Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who didn’t box during the VSC, gave up on his hopes for a Safety Car and finally peeled into the pits after 48 laps.
Adding an eighth win to his season tally, Antonelli has extended his lead to 81 points in the Drivers’ Championship as his teammate George Russell settled for fifth.
Antonelli and Norris agreed that Norris should have won the race.
“It was a very difficult race, not straightforward at all, especially trying to manage tires.
“It’s good to win, but it doesn’t feel as good because I think Lando today deserved to win,” Antonelli said. “But overall, you know, we’ll take it. Other than that, it was a very strong race. I think especially on the hard [tires] at the end we had really good pace, and now we’re going to keep pushing.”
Norris had a similar opinion.
“The VSC came out after I was already round the last corner,” he said. “The others were very fortunate today or I was unfortunate, whichever way round you want to look at it.
“Of course, I believe I deserved it today. We did a very good job, I feel like I did everything right this weekend so for it to be lost like today is just pretty crappy.
“It’s F-1, 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.
“If it was the other way round of course it would suit me, but when I feel like I’ve driven a perfect weekend and I did such a good job yesterday, and I feel like I did a great job today, it hurts. Nothing I can do.”
