Kimi Antonelli beat Max Verstappen and pole sitter Lando Norris over 57 laps to win Formula 1’s first race at Madring.
Antonelli takes Madring’s first victory
Kimi Antonelli won Sunday’s 2026 Spanish Grand Prix at Madring, turning a front-row start into a Mercedes victory in round 16 of the Formula 1 season.
Antonelli led Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen home after 57 laps, with Verstappen finishing 4.351 seconds behind. McLaren’s Lando Norris started from pole position and placed third, 5.089 seconds behind the winner.
Antonelli became the first Formula 1 race winner at the 5.416-kilometer hybrid circuit near Madrid in what was otherwise a boring race. First lap drama, 46 laps of no real action, and finally 10 laps of some racing duels.
Leading trio decides the race
Norris took pole with a 1:31.824 lap, edging Antonelli by 0.011 seconds. Verstappen qualified third, putting all three podium finishers at the front of the grid.
Antonelli moved ahead during the race and built a clear advantage by the checkered flag. All three podium finishers made one pit stop.
Antonelli set the fastest race lap among the podium finishers at 1:36.030. Norris recorded a best lap of 1:36.680, while Verstappen’s quickest was 1:36.760.
Leclerc heads the pursuit
Charles Leclerc brought Ferrari home fourth, 29.116 seconds behind Antonelli. George Russell finished fifth in the other Mercedes after making two stops, crossing the line 29.829 seconds behind his teammate.
Red Bull Racing’s Liam Lawson claimed sixth, ahead of Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Arvid Lindblad recovered from a crash in Friday practice to finish ninth for Racing Bulls, with Audi’s Nico Hülkenberg rounding out the top 10.
Four drivers fail to finish
Lewis Hamilton retired first, bringing his Ferrari race to an end around lap six. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll followed on lap 12, before Cadillac driver Sergio Pérez retired on ap 31.
Home driver Carlos Sainz retired his Williams on lap 43, after an earlier collision with his countryman, Fernando Alonso, which led to Sainz receiving a penalty.
Antonelli increases championship lead
Antonelli reached Madrid at the top of the drivers’ standings with 267 points, holding a 66-point lead over Russell. The victory extended his advantage after Russell finished four positions behind his teammate.
Verstappen added second-place points and Norris scored for third, while Antonelli followed his Monza success with another victory one week later.
Formula 1’s next round offers Verstappen and Norris another chance to reduce the Mercedes driver’s championship advantage.
