Generally, there are two roads to take when assessing an inaugural Formula One grand prix. The first: the show, the core parameters by which F1’s glitzy American owners judge their events. And in this respect Madrid, with a sold-out 353,000 spectators across three days at the brand-new street circuit in the northeast of the city, has been something of a success.
Yet the race? The actual sport? It has to be said: less impressive. There were always concerns about the action out on-track on Sunday, given the narrow, twisty nature of this 22-turn circuit next to Real Madrid’s training ground. Without a significant shunt and red-flag-induced drama, overtaking proved as difficult as expected. It wasn’t a complete snooze-fest but compared to the first Las Vegas race in 2023 – the last new track on the calendar, which enjoyed an action-packed Grand Prix after earlier logistical issues – the new Spanish GP in the capital failed to fire.
One person who will not care, however, is Kimi Antonelli. With every week and every event, the 20-year-old Italian is oozing composure, assuredness and looking like the champion-in-waiting. Here, starting in second, the Mercedes driver bided his time for most of the 57-lap race behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, ready to pounce and grasp P1 when the Monegasque made his mandatory pit stop. Lo and behold, with six laps to go, Antonelli cruised into first place and never looked likely to relinquish his lead to Max Verstappen and Lando Norris behind. Remarkably, he now has more Grand Prix victories than his teammate George Russell.
Norris, meanwhile, can count himself mighty unfortunate. Starting quickly and keeping the lead at the start from pole position, the McLaren driver looked well placed before a virtual safety car on lap 15 screwed his pit-stop plans. He lost bags of time in the 550-metre-long pit lane and, ultimately, could not make it up on the track. Even Antonelli stated on team radio afterwards that he “felt bad for Lando”.
Norris had to settle for third, on a day to forget for the leading British contingent. Russell, losing more ground in the title race, finished fifth, while Lewis Hamilton retired in the opening minutes due to a brake issue. It has been a week to forget for the Ferrari driver, a week on from his intra-team squabble in Monza.
It had all started so promisingly for Hamilton, too. Out of the top four on the grid, the seven-time world champion had the best start and looked well placed to move up to second, before the Briton was squeezed by Antonelli at the ultra-tight turn one and Verstappen slammed the window shut, cutting the chicane in the process.
“Max has to give that back,” implored Hamilton and Red Bull, to their star driver’s dismay, agreed. Verstappen, when told by race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to drop back, was apopleptically cross. “What the f*** are you guys talking about? He would’ve shunted into me! If he crashes into me, we’d have been out of the race.”
Reluctantly, Verstappen relented and dropped back on lap four. Yet a lap later, it would all prove inconsequential as Hamilton complained to his Ferrari engineer Carlo Santi – who has been on the end of a fair few punchy comments over team radio in recent weeks – about brake issues. “I can’t stop the car,” Hamilton bemoaned, as he then proved when he went off at turn 20.
Top-10 - Spanish Grand Prix
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. George Russell (Mercedes)
6. Liam Lawson (Red Bull)
7. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
8. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
9. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
Dropping to dead last, a retirement was inevitable and the 41-year-old, a six-time winner of this grand prix in Barcelona and three months on from his first Ferrari triumph in Catalunya in June, was out of Madrid’s inaugural event, with close friend and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham watching on in the pit lane.
But the game-changing flashpoint came on lap 15. To Norris’s dismay, Lance Stroll leaving the track and parking his failed Aston Martin by the wall triggered a virtual safety car, and McLaren, unfortunately, fell on the wrong side of the coin. While those behind the race leader pitted, the reigning world champion stayed out and by the time he made his way to the pit lane, green-flag conditions meant maximum speeds back on track.
In the blink of an eye, Norris had lost his lead and had dropped to fourth. To his credit, the Bristolian remained composed despite the rotten luck.
The tone for the rest of the Grand Prix, with overtaking at a premium here given the lack of long straights, was now set. Leclerc opted to stay out in front, pleading for another safety car or incident which never came, with Antonelli just biding his time to pounce in second place.
His engineer, Peter Bonnington, urged the championship leader to conserve his hard tyres. And when Leclerc pitted on lap 50, Antonelli had enough rubber to cruise home to victory – his eighth triumph of an outstanding season to date. Bonnington called it a “masterclass” but Antonelli, mature beyond his years, remained calm, acknowledging that fortune fell his way. “It feels good to win, but Lando deserved to win,” he said afterwards. “We take it; we had really good pace.”
With team Russell, starting on hards, opting for a two-stop strategy and ultimately losing out with a fifth-place finish, it means Antonelli now has an 81-point lead in the world championship with a scheduled nine rounds remaining. With every week, as Russell tries and fails to wrangle back some momentum, Antonelli is inching ever closer to becoming the sport’s youngest-ever champion.
Not a shoo-in just yet, but the ultimate prize is now creeping tantalisingly into view.
Read MoreF1 standings after Spanish GP as Kimi Antonelli extends lead to George Russell
Lewis Hamilton reacts after missing out on first Ferrari F1 pole: ‘It’s a dodgy set of tyres’
Lando Norris stuns rivals to claim remarkable pole for first F1 race in Madrid
I deserved more – Lando Norris calls for F1 rule change after Spanish Grand Prix
Norris fires back after being told he can’t drink Coca-Cola: ‘I just did a race’
F1 standings after Spanish GP as Kimi Antonelli extends lead to George Russell
