As the chequered flag fell on the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli took the first victory at the Madring circuit, making it a back-to-back victory for the Mercedes driver. Max Verstappen came in second, with Lando Norris taking the final spot on the podium.
Heading into the weekend, it was suspected that overtaking would be a challenge for the drivers. However, the challenge seemed to be more than expected. Even if the car behind was second-fastest in pace, overtaking was nearly impossible unless the car ahead made a mistake. The Madring circuit looked like a high-speed version of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli takes the chequered flag at the Madring Circuit
At lights out, pole-sitter Lando Norris got a decent launch and was able to keep Antonelli behind him. Following this, Norris was able to pull away to a gap of over 4 seconds. It seemed as though Norris could pull off an easy victory.
But on lap 15, Lance Stroll was forced to park his Aston Martin on the side of the track due to brake issues. This resulted in a VSC, which was launched right after Norris crossed the pit entry. Both Kimi Antonelli and Verstappen pitted under the VSC, limiting the time lost. While the VSC was still out, McLaren decided to box Norris the very next lap. However, just before Norris came in, the VSC ended, and yet Norris still came into the pits. He came out in 5th place behind George Russell.
| Position | Driver Name | Team Name | Lap Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:36.030 | - |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:37.001 | +4.351 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:37.018 | +5.089 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:37.949 | +29.116 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:37.511 | +29.829 |
| 6 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull | 1:37.852 | +86.746 |
| 7 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:38.488 | +94.281 |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:38.871 | +95.839 |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:39.234 | 1L |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:39.646 | 1L |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:39.174 | 1L |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 2:01.049 | 1L |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:40.585 | 1L |
| 14 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | 1:38.818 | 1L |
| 15 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:42.468 | 1L |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:37.311 | 1L |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:40.491 | 2L |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:43.918 | 3L |
| - | Carlos Sainz | Williams | RETIRED | - |
| - | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | RETIRED | - |
| - | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | STOP | - |
| - | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | RETIRED | - |
On lap 48/57, Leclerc finally came into the pits, releasing Antonelli. From then on, nothing could have denied the young Italian driver victory at the Madring. It was all frowns down at McLaren as they knew that they had a good chance at victory today.
Here's what Kimi Antonelli had to say after taking the chequered flag at the Spanish Grand Prix: "It was a very difficult race, not straightforward at all, especially trying to manage tyres.
"It is good to win, but it doesn't feel as good as I think Lando deserved to win. But we'll take it, and we'll keep pushing."
How the Championship standings look after the Spanish Grand Prix
After the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli had increased his lead in the Championship by 15 points. With 9 more races to go, it will be an uphill task for George Russell to catch up to his teammate.
| Position | Driver Name | Team Name | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 292 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 211 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 191 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 186 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 167 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 145 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 120 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 71 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull | 59 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 41 |
| 11 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 31 |
| 12 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 27 |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 18 |
| 14 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 10 |
| 15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 7 |
| 16 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 6 |
| 17 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 5 |
| 18 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 3 |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 3 |
| 20 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | 1 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 0 |
| 22 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac Ferrari | 0 |
| 23 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac Ferrari | 0 |
In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes has increased their lead by 23 points. Their closest competitors, Ferrari, were fighting with only one car on the track as Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire from the race due to brake issues on lap 6.
| Position | Team Name | Total Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 503 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 358 |
| 3 | McLaren Mercedes | 306 |
| 4 | Red Bull Racing Red Bull Ford | 230 |
| 5 | Racing Bulls Red Bull Ford | 77 |
| 6 | Alpine Mercedes | 68 |
| 7 | Haas Ferrari | 21 |
| 8 | Audi | 17 |
| 9 | Atlassian Williams Mercedes | 11 |
| 10 | Aston Martin Aramco Honda | 3 |
| 11 | Cadillac Ferrari | 0 |
Heading into the triple-header starting with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the momentum is clearly with the Championship leader, Kimi Antonelli. However, it was clear that Lando Norris was the fastest man out there in Madrid. So we can expect him to carry that form into Baku. Russell will be looking for his luck to turn around to help him challenge his teammate for the title.
