Antonelli wins as Norris loses out under virtual safety car

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the Spanish Grand Prix after McLaren’s Lando Norris lost out because of the bad timing of a virtual safety car.

Norris was leading comfortably from pole position when the VSC was called on lap 15. The timing was terrible for the world champion – he had already passed the pit exit when the VSC was called.

That meant Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen were able to pit under the VSC, saving time, while the caution period ended before Norris could make it around to the pits again.

He did then come in but, to make matters worse, the stop was slow and he rejoined in fifth place.

Norris was able to recover only to third around the new Madring track where overtaking is next to impossible.

Antonelli’s eighth win in 14 races this year puts an even tighter stranglehold on the championship for the Italian.

He is now 81 points ahead of team-mate George Russell, who finished fifth after a difficult race on a confusing strategy, and 101 clear of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who retired early on with brake failure.

“It’s good to win but it doesn’t feel as good because Lando deserved to win,” Antonelli said.

Norris said: “We’ll take it on the chin. There could be more wins this year.”

The key stories of the maiden Madring race were:

• Norris’ terrible luck with the VSC depriving him of a likely third victory this year after a brilliant pole on Saturday
• Antonelli’s fortune in a season that is surrendering to him, as well as him grabbing it by the throat with his performances
• The difficulty of overtaking on a new track designed from a clean sheet of paper, yet without obvious passing places

Norris knew that holding on to the lead would be tough from pole but he robustly defended from Antonelli into the first corner.

The Mercedes driver cut the chicanes at Turns One and Two, and again at Turns Five and Six, each time getting into the lead, each time having to give it back.

After that, Norris looked to be in control of the race as he extended his advantage progressively, moving 5.6 seconds clear 10 laps in, and 6.2 when Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin stopped at Turn 20 with brake failure.

The VSC was called, but Norris had already reached the pit straight, while Antonelli and Verstappen had not and could come in.

Norris came in the next time around, but the VSC ended a couple of corners before he reached the entry to the pits, allowing the cars still on track to get back up to racing speed – a stop under a safety car saves a driver about 10 seconds over one under green-flag conditions.

To make matters worse, McLaren’s mechanics had trouble with both the right-hand side wheels, and the stop took seven seconds rather than the usual two.

Norris came out in fifth place, 6.3secs behind Russell, and his hopes of winning were gone.

At the front, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who had been running fourth before the VSC, stayed out, having started the race on hard tyres rather than the mediums chosen by Antonelli and Norris and the softs Verstappen had.

Leclerc stayed out, and led the race with Antonelli close behind but the gap fluctuated as the Mercedes driver managed his tyres.

Ferrari kept Leclerc out as long as possible, hoping for a second safety car to enable him to make his own cheap stop.

But one never came, and Leclerc had to pit eventually, on lap 48 with nine to go. He resumed in fourth behind Antonelli, Verstappen and Norris.

Norris had closed all his deficit to Verstappen by the final stages and was running right on the Dutchman’s tail in the closing laps, but was unable to pass.

The closest he came was with two laps to go as Verstappen stumbled over some lapped cars, but despite a mistake at Turn Five, the Dutchman was able to hold on.

Officials briefly looked at an incident with two laps to go when he cut a chicane while fighting to stay ahead of Norris, who complained Verstappen should give the place up. But no action was taken.

Overtaking proves to be almost impossible

Russell ended up a lonely fifth after starting on the hard tyres and then moving on to a mystifying strategy that saw him switch to medium tyres at the VSC, and then have to stop again for hards at about half distance.

He spent much of the race debating strategy with his team before being told to be quiet and they would debate it afterwards.

Red Bull’s Liam Lawson took sixth, ahead of Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, delayed by a front wing issue after colliding with Russell on the first lap.

Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad took ninth place from Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg with two laps to go.

The drivers had warned that overtaking would be almost impossible, and so it proved.

The pressure that was already there to rethink the layout for next year and provide a longer straight and big braking zone to allow overtaking will be significant.

Rethinking the fractured and overly extensive breadth of the paddock and pits complex – which covers a vastly greater distance than anywhere else – would also be a good idea.

Top 10

1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Lando Norris (McLaren)

3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

4. George Russell (Mercedes)

5. Liam Lawson (Red Bull)

6. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

7. Oscar Piastri (Mclaren)

8. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)

10. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)