Antonelli holds off Verstappen to stretch F1 championship lead
- On Sunday, Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the inaugural Formula One race in Madrid, securing his eighth victory of the 2026 season and extending his championship grip.
- A crash by Lance Stroll on the 14th lap triggered a Virtual Safety Car that caught McLaren driver Lando Norris off guard. Norris lost his seven-second lead and a slow front-right tyre change left him 13 seconds adrift.
- Max Verstappen finished runner-up, 4.3 seconds behind Antonelli, while Charles Leclerc led most of the race before his late stop. Lewis Hamilton retired early with a brake problem, ending the seven-time world champion's title hopes as he fell 101 points behind the pace.
- Following the race, Norris alleged Verstappen defended second place illegally on the penultimate lap. Antonelli extended his championship margin to 81 points with nine rounds remaining, positioning him to potentially usurp Sebastian Vettel as the sport's youngest-ever world champion.
- Mercedes driver George Russell finished fifth, questioning the team's two-stop strategy. "I think I could have held Norris off," Russell asked, as the team refines tactics amid the intensifying championship battle.
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308 Articles
The Italian added the eighth win in the year and taught that he is a driver in a state of grace; 81 points ahead of fellow Russell in the championship
Idaho Press
Durango HeraldAntonelli wins first Formula 1 race in Madrid in 45 years after unlucky break for pole-sitter Norris
Kimi Antonelli has taken advantage of Lando Norris' mishaps to win the Spanish Grand Prix in Formula 1’s return to Madrid, increasing his lead in the drivers’ standings. It was the second consecutive victory for Antonelli, the young Mercedes driver…
The 20-year-old Italian won his eighth win of the year at the premiere of the Madring and stretched his advantage over George Russell to 81 points.Max Verstappen and Lando Norris completed the podium of a race in which Franco Colapinto finished seventh with Alpine.
Kimi Antonelli wins Spanish GP
Kimi Antonelli took advantage of the virtual safety car on lap 15 to switch to hard compound tires and cruised to the end of the race to win the first Spanish Grand Prix held in Madrid in 45 years. With Lewis Hamilton being forced to retire from the race with brake issues and George Russell …
Kimi Antonelli was the big winner, finishing first in the Madrid Grand Prix hosted by the region's new track. The post Antonelli even closer to the title – He took victory in Madrid (pics) appeared first on in.gr.
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