Antonelli makes it eight as Mercedes' VSC gamble seals Spanish GP win at Madring
Antonelli turns a Virtual Safety Car into victory at the Madring
Kimi Antonelli claimed his eighth win of the 2026 season at the Spanish Grand Prix — and the first-ever Formula 1 victory at the Madring — after a perfectly timed pit stop under the Virtual Safety Car turned a deficit into a net lead he never relinquished.
Antonelli made a great start from P2 but, in challenging for the lead, cut the apex of a corner and was forced to cede the position — attempts that proved messy and briefly dropped him behind Max Verstappen until the Dutchman was made to do the same. That left Antonelli second and a few seconds adrift of race leader Lando Norris.
Everything changed when the Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Antonelli dived into the pits for a "cheap" stop onto the hard tyre, emerged as the de facto leader and kept his race clean from there to the flag.
The Italian admitted the win came with a slice of fortune.
"It was great to get the victory today, but we know we were a little bit fortunate with the timing of the Virtual Safety Car. Lando (Norris) was in control at the front, but we were able to dive into the pits just as the Virtual Safety Car was deployed, make the cheap stop onto the Hard, get the net lead and run to the end. We probably didn't deserve to win therefore but we will of course take it."
"We can also be happy with our pace today. We know we are still out of step with other teams in terms of upgrades, but we have been able to win the last two races at very different circuits. That is encouraging as we continue the season; we have a good position in the championships but we know there is still a very long way to go."
The day at a glance
- Winner: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) — his eighth win of the season
- Second: Max Verstappen (Red Bull) — a second consecutive podium
- Fifth: George Russell (Mercedes)
- Sixth: Liam Lawson (Red Bull)
Verstappen makes the most of a fraught start
Verstappen's afternoon began with a flashpoint at Turn 2. The Red Bull driver cut the corner while fighting Lewis Hamilton and was even briefly ahead of Antonelli, before his team told him to hand the positions back. When Hamilton later retired, Verstappen was running third.
He, too, benefited from a VSC pit stop, jumping ahead of Norris, and then caught Antonelli to demonstrate the RB22 had genuine race pace. In the closing stages, he kept a charging Norris at bay to seal a second straight rostrum finish.
"It was a great result, and we really maximised our performance, with finishing P2 on this track a solid way to wrap up a good weekend. At the start, Lewis clipped the kerb and jumped back onto the racing line, I had to go off track, otherwise both of us would have taken damage. I don't think we had the pace to challenge for the lead anyway, Kimi and Lando were faster than me throughout, so I'm happy with second. It's a circuit that's very difficult to pass on; if you position yourself in the middle, there isn't really a way through, so I was able to hold off Lando until the end. This double header has been a positive one. The car has been in a decent window both weekends, and we've been able to score consistently good points over the last few races. A podium is a nice way to end the European swing."
Russell rues VSC timing: 'We would have finished P5 no matter what'
George Russell had contact with Oscar Piastri at the start and was fortunate to hold on to P6. Mercedes had started him on the hard tyre intending to go long, but pitted him under the VSC anyway — and, unconvinced the mediums would last, brought him in for a second stop. The sequence dropped him back and he crossed the line fifth.
"No matter what we had done with strategy today we would have finished P5. The Virtual Safety Car came at the worst point for everyone who had started on the Hard tyre like me, and the best point for those who had started on the Medium. Unfortunately, that is how racing goes sometimes but it is a little bit the story of my season so far! It was very difficult to overtake today but I've enjoyed driving the Madring overall this weekend."
"It is going to be an intense run to the end of the season. I'm looking forward to getting back to the factory, working with the team, and getting ready for the first of three triple-headers. My pace today, particularly on the Hard tyre, felt good so we can be encouraged by that as we head to Baku."
Lawson fights his way to sixth
Liam Lawson ran a long first stint on the hards and had to scrap hard for sixth place. He could not hold off a fresher-shod Russell late on, but did dispatch Pierre Gasly before a lonely end to his race.
"I think it was a decent race. We had good speed through parts of it, but I just think we weren't on the ideal strategy today. We went for the alternate strategy, starting on the Hards. At the start I lost the position to Franco and lost a lot of time as it was, but by the time I cleared him the VSC came out and they'd boxed, so it was just tricky from there. The start was exciting and I had to take a lot of risks to get the move done on Franco because it's quite difficult to overtake here. It would've been nice to start a bit higher, but considering where we did start, the result today was good and I'm happy we managed to gain two places in the Race. I'm much more confident in the car this week, we've made a couple of great steps, so there are some good things to take away from the weekend."
The pit wall's verdict
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "We are pleased to have taken the first victory at the Madring; it has been another successful new event for F1 at a great location. Kimi drove well and, whilst the Virtual Safety Car played into his hands, he drove well to bring the car home at what has proved to be a very challenging circuit. To take another win at such a different track to Monza, having not brought a major update package to the car since Canada, is very encouraging."
On Russell's afternoon, Wolff added: "We started him on the Hard tyre, intending to go long, but we had to take the cheap stop under the Virtual Safety Car and to do something different if we were to try and beat Leclerc. The Ferrari stayed out and we switch George to the Medium but unfortunately it wasn't the strongest tyre today. George reported early on that he was suffering so we went back to the Hard compound; ultimately whatever we had done we would have come home P5 today."
"We now have one week to get ready for Baku and the beginning of the first of three triple-headers. Extending our lead in the championships is good but we know there is still so much racing to come. It is going to be an intense run to the end of the season but we're excited for that challenge."
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director: "That was a great result for Kimi and a really strong weekend for the team. We clearly benefited from the timing of the Virtual Safety Car, but credit goes to the drivers and everyone in the garage for being ready to react. The execution of both stops was excellent and that helped us take the win today."
"For Kimi, the decision to pit under the Virtual Safety Car was the one that ultimately put him in the net lead of the race. George's situation was a little more complicated. We had elected to do the opposite of Leclerc strategically because, when you're behind, you often need to try something different to create an opportunity. As the race unfolded, though, it became clear that the Hard tyre was performing better than we had expected and was the compound to be on. That said, if we had mirrored the Ferrari's strategy, we would have still likely finished P5 with overtaking proving so difficult."
"Ultimately, the Virtual Safety Car arrived at the perfect moment for the cars that could switch onto the Hard tyre, and that's sometimes how racing goes. The important thing is that we've come away with a race win, a strong points haul, and strengthened our position in both championships."
"We'll regroup over the next few days and prepare for the run to the finish of the season. Nine races in 11 weeks is going to be a demanding stretch for everyone, but we've put ourselves in a good position in both title fights and we'll keep pushing right to the final Grand Prix."
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Team Principal: "After Monza another strong result from the whole Team at the end of a tough race. Once again, Max extracted absolutely everything from the car, as he always does. There was obviously some frustration at the start when he had to give the place back to Lewis, but the Team on the pit wall took a good look at it and, credit to them, made the difficult call."
Attention now turns to Baku and the first of three triple-headers, with nine races across 11 weeks set to decide both championships.