Antonelli Wins Spanish GP as VSC Timing Crushes Norris — SkimNews
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- Kimi Antonelli won the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit — his 8th victory in 14 races this season — after a virtual safety car deployed on lap 15 handed him and Verstappen a free pit stop that Norris could not use.
- Lando Norris, who had led from pole and was 6.2 seconds clear when Lance Stroll's Aston Martin retired at Turn 20 with brake failure, was already on the pit straight when the VSC was called — Antonelli and Verstappen had not yet reached it and pitted to save roughly 10 seconds.
- McLaren compounded Norris's misfortune with a 7-second pit stop caused by trouble with both right-side wheels (versus a usual 2 seconds), dropping him to fifth; he recovered only to third, unable to pass Verstappen in the closing laps.
- Antonelli extends his championship stranglehold to 81 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell and 101 over Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who retired early with brake failure — Antonelli himself said after the race that 'Lando deserved to win.'
- Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who started on hard tyres and stayed out during the VSC to briefly lead, was left hoping for a second safety car that never came; he pitted on lap 48 with nine laps remaining and finished fourth behind Antonelli, Verstappen, and Norris.
- The Madring circuit in Madrid, which drivers warned pre-race would make overtaking almost impossible, proved them right — the article notes 'significant' pressure now on F1 to rethink the layout, including adding a longer straight and bigger braking zone for next season.
Why it matters: Antonelli's 81-point championship lead after just 14 races — with 8 wins already — effectively ends any realistic title fight this early. And the new Madring circuit's overtaking dead zone, which drivers warned about pre-race, proved so severe that F1 now faces significant pressure to redesign for next season.
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