Antonelli wins Spanish Grand Prix at new Madrid circuit

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the Spanish Grand Prix, held for the first time at the new street circuit in Madrid.

The Italian claimed the eighth victory of his career and extended his lead in the championship. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) finished second, with Lando Norris (McLaren) taking third.

Mercedes set the pace in practice, but Norris produced the fastest lap in the closing seconds of qualifying to take pole position. Antonelli lined up alongside him on the front row, with Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on the second row, and Charles Leclerc and George Russell on the third.

Norris retained the lead at the start, while Verstappen passed Antonelli but cut the chicane in the process. After being instructed to give the position back, Max let Kimi through before also yielding to Hamilton. Shortly afterwards, the seven-time world champion suffered brake problems and was forced to retire.

A key moment in the race came on lap 14, when a Virtual Safety Car was deployed after Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) stopped on track. Most of the front-runners took the opportunity to pit, but Norris had already passed the pit-lane entry. When the Briton stopped two laps later, a problem with the wheel gun delayed his pit stop and he rejoined in fifth place.

The lead passed to Leclerc, who had yet to make a pit stop. Once the Ferrari driver stopped, the order changed again, with Antonelli moving ahead of Verstappen and Norris.

In the second half of the race, Norris gradually closed the gap to Verstappen and was less than a second behind by lap 42. However, the characteristics of the new street circuit made overtaking extremely difficult, and the McLaren driver was unable to launch a serious attack.

Antonelli remained in the lead until the chequered flag to claim his second consecutive victory following his triumph at Monza. It was the eighth win of the Italian's career. He also extended his championship advantage over Russell to 81 points.

Verstappen finished second, while Norris completed the podium in third.

The championship continues in two weeks with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. This year's race will mark the 10th Formula 1 event held in Azerbaijan.