Antonelli won the boring 2026 Spanish GP at the new Madring circuit

Kimi Antonelli won the first F1 race at the Madring circuit. The 2026 Spanish GP did not provide much excitement, as overtaking opportunities on this track are limited. The moment the virtual safety car appeared decided the results, with the previously leading Lando Norris losing out.

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The race at the Madrid circuit was held in air temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius and track temperatures over 50 degrees. These were very challenging conditions for drivers and cars. We had no accidents or serious collisions. A virtual safety car appeared after Stroll’s car broke down, but otherwise the race proceeded calmly.

2026 Spanish GP Race Results

The debut of the Madring circuit in the F1 calendar was unsuccessful

After an interesting qualifying, we had a very boring Spanish GP race on the new Madring circuit, exactly as could be predicted since the layout of this track was revealed. Madring is a varied and demanding circuit, but there is no good overtaking spot. In the current F1 calendar, only Monaco is worse in this regard. It should be noted that often the first races on a new F1 track are boring, and for Spain, Pirelli also brought tires that were too hard, which strongly affected strategy. However, it cannot be ignored that Madring has no good overtaking spots. Like Monaco, driving down the middle of the track is enough to prevent being overtaken because there is nowhere to pass. Braking after the longest straight would be a good place, but there is a demanding chicane after it, requiring braking while turning, which makes defense much easier.

The circuit has a ten-year contract with Formula 1, paying a record amount among European races. They need to find a few million euros to rethink the track layout and introduce minor changes in two or three corners to create at least one good overtaking spot. Such modifications combined with Pirelli bringing softer tires should make future races at least decent.

Start and first phase of the race

At the race start, there was a lot of fighting at the front. Hamilton made the best start from third place using soft tires, but the straight was too short to capitalize on it, and he had to give way before the first corner. Verstappen overtook him in the chicane, going off track in the process. Antonelli cut both chicanes at the start of the first lap and had to give up his position to Norris and then Verstappen. Lando Norris was leading, followed by Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli. Then came Hamilton, Leclerc, and Russell. The second Mercedes driver was very lucky as Piastri hit his rear tire twice at the start. The tire survived, but Piastri broke his front wing and lost two positions.

Max Verstappen was guaranteed a penalty for overtaking Hamilton off-track, so after discussions with the team, he gave up the position on lap four. The Dutchman was so unlucky that he also had to let Antonelli pass. The Italian thus gained second place for free, and Hamilton was third, but only briefly. The British driver had brake problems, tried to continue, but retired on lap six. Due to his slower pace and earlier letting Verstappen through, big gaps formed at the front.

In the first phase, Lando Norris dominated, having a 6-second lead over second-placed Antonelli on lap 14. The Italian had a 6-second lead over third-placed Verstappen. Norris and Antonelli were on medium tires and pushed hard early on. Verstappen started on softs and couldn’t keep up. Behind him were Leclerc and Russell on hard tires, who had a different race plan at that moment. However, Lance Stroll’s car failure changed the situation.

Virtual safety car decided the race results

Lance Stroll stopped on the shoulder in sector three on lap 14. Yellow flags were out for over 30 seconds, followed by a virtual safety car for almost a full lap. The VSC decision came as leader Norris had already passed the pit entry. Antonelli was very lucky as he managed to change tires at the last moment. Verstappen and Russell from the front also pitted. Antonelli and Verstappen got hard tires, which they used to finish the race. Russell started on hards, so he got mediums, which made finishing the race seem impossible. Norris changed tires on the next lap, but the VSC period had ended. Additionally, he had a very poor pit stop (7 seconds), so he rejoined the track only in fifth place.

The timing of the VSC and team decisions decided the race results. Leclerc took the lead, starting on hard tires. The Monegasque changed tires only on lap 48, delaying his pit stop as much as possible hoping for another neutralization. His pit stop timing was forced by Russell’s pace. Leclerc maintained good pace but clearly held up drivers behind him who had no chance to overtake.

Antonelli spent most of the race in second, managing his pace and car to avoid overheating. At one point Verstappen caught him, but as soon as Leclerc pitted, Antonelli clearly accelerated and pulled away. The Italian was not the fastest in this race but was lucky with the timing of the virtual safety car and won another race. This gives him a huge lead in the championship. This year Antonelli drives fast and consistently, and luck has been on his side in such moments.

Max Verstappen finished second, pressured by Lando Norris for many laps but with no chance for a successful overtaking maneuver. The Dutchman maximized his race and was also lucky. After having to give up two positions early on, it seemed he could forget about the podium, but then Hamilton retired, and the VSC came at the perfect moment for him. Verstappen started on soft tires and without the neutralization would have been the first in the front group to change them, almost certainly losing one or two positions.

Lando Norris was the fastest in the race, as seen in his early phase and mid-race when he regularly set record lap times and caught Verstappen. However, he had huge bad luck with the VSC and a botched pit stop. In my opinion, McLaren made a mistake calling him for a tire change a lap after his rivals when the neutralization was over. He could have stayed on medium tires for a few more laps, giving him a chance to leave the pits not in fifth but a higher position. In the second half of the race, this would have given him fresher tires advantage. In summary, he was the fastest but lost a certain victory due to the VSC.

Charles Leclerc finished fourth, running a reverse strategy. If there had been a second neutralization, this strategy would probably have secured him a podium. It was a correct decision by Ferrari, and fourth place was the maximum he could achieve in this case.

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George Russell was fifth after a race that did not go his way. The team made a mistake calling him for a tire change during the VSC. He should have stayed out like Leclerc. During the VSC, he was right behind the Ferrari driver, so staying out would have put him second, opening various strategic options. Russell changed tires, got mediums, on which he had no chance to finish the race. Because of this, he made a second pit stop during race pace (losing 26 seconds). He rejoined behind Lawson, losing more seconds before overtaking him. At that point, he was over 40 seconds behind the leader. In the final stages, using fresher hard tires, he was the fastest on track but had no chance to move higher than fifth.

Overview of other significant results

The situation in the following positions was related to events at the first corner, track position, and strategy. Many drivers from the second half of the field started on hard tires and mostly did not change them during the VSC. As we saw with the front runners, this strategy was worse. Those who started on medium and soft tires mostly gained.

Sixth place went to Liam Lawson, who made a very long first stint on hard tires, pressured by Piastri but not overtaken. The key was the decision to change tires two laps after Piastri, as Lawson exited the pits in a better position and controlled sixth place to the finish.

Seventh place was earned by Franco Colapinto, who must be very pleased. He had a good start and then changed tires during the VSC. Theoretically, he had a chance to be sixth at the finish but lost too much time mid-race following Bortoleto.

Oscar Piastri had a very unlucky race, losing three positions at the start and damaging his front wing. He spent almost the entire race close to a rival but could not overtake. When he finally pitted, he rejoined among other battling drivers. Eighth place, considering McLaren’s potential, is a disappointment.

Other points contenders were Arvid Lindblad, Nico Hulkenberg, and surprisingly Esteban Ocon. All three changed tires during the VSC, gaining a lot of time, and then raced close together. Ultimately, Ocon missed out on a top 10 finish.

Pierre Gasly completed 55 of 57 laps on a single set of hard tires. This did not earn him points, but the strategy was interesting. Tire degradation was really low; Pirelli must bring softer tires next year.

Hamilton and Stroll retired due to brake failures, Perez retired due to hydraulic system failure, and Sainz retired due to car damage after several collisions.

Current championship standings after the Spanish GP can be found here. No position changes occurred, but point gaps changed.

Summary

This was not a successful race and will not be remembered for long. Debuts at Sochi in 2014 and Baku in 2016 looked very similar. Later, races there became more interesting. I hope the same will happen in Madrid. The 2026 Spanish GP results were perfect for Kimi Antonelli, who now has a clear path to the championship title.

Reminder: in two weeks, the Azerbaijan GP will take place from Thursday to Saturday. The race will be on Saturday due to a national holiday on Sunday. Among the top teams, McLaren announced bringing an upgrade package to Baku. It will be the most important weekend of the season for Williams, who will bring a long-awaited major upgrade package expected to change their season. I expect several drivers to take extra engines in Baku, as it is a good track for overtaking and gaining positions.

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