The Virtual Safety Car that decided it
Kimi Antonelli won the first-ever Formula 1 race at Madrid's new Madring circuit, but the result turned on a single Virtual Safety Car period rather than outright pace. Lando Norris had been leading when the VSC came out, and the timing worked against him: Antonelli pitted for fresh tyres and rejoined ahead of both Norris and Max Verstappen, who had been running second and third at the time. Norris never got the position back, handing Mercedes a win that owed as much to strategy as to speed.
The rest of the podium — and the rest of the top 8
Max Verstappen recovered to finish second, with Norris completing the podium in third after losing the lead in the pit-stop shuffle. Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari, ahead of a quiet weekend for his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who didn't feature in the front-running fight. George Russell finished fifth, with Liam Lawson sixth for Red Bull, Franco Colapinto seventh for Alpine, and Oscar Piastri eighth for McLaren.
The standings after Madrid
Antonelli's eighth win of the season stretched his championship lead to 81 points over Russell — Antonelli now sits on 292 points to Russell's 211, with Hamilton third on 191 and Norris fourth on 186. A gap of that size, with only a handful of rounds left, puts Antonelli firmly in control of the title fight; see our breakdown of Russell's collapsing title chances for how the deficit got this large in the first place.
What's next
Formula 1 heads to Baku next for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a street circuit where safety car and VSC periods have historically been common — exactly the kind of race that could either extend Antonelli's cushion further or hand a rival a way back in. See our Azerbaijan Grand Prix preview for what to expect.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the first F1 race in Madrid?
Kimi Antonelli, in the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring street circuit. The win was his eighth of the 2026 season.
How did Kimi Antonelli win the Madrid Grand Prix?
A Virtual Safety Car period let him pit for fresh tyres and rejoin ahead of race leader Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, who had been running first and third at the time. Norris never recovered the position.
What was the full podium at the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix?
Kimi Antonelli won, ahead of Max Verstappen in second and Lando Norris in third.
What is Kimi Antonelli's championship lead after Madrid?
81 points over second-placed George Russell — Antonelli has 292 points to Russell's 211, with three-quarters of the way through the season complete.
Pippa has followed open-wheel racing for 12 years, from Formula 1's turbo-hybrid era to IndyCar's short ovals, and has watched competitive sim racing grow from a niche hobby into a genuine motorsport discipline in its own right. She covers circuit and open-wheel racing, touring cars and esports for CNMOTOS.
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