Antonelli Wins Spanish GP After VSC Timing Costs Norris Pit Stop — SkimNews
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- Lando Norris lost a near-certain Spanish Grand Prix win when a virtual safety car was triggered seconds after he passed the pit-lane entry on lap 14, leaving him as the only driver on the grid unable to stop under the caution.
- Kimi Antonelli inherited the win for Mercedes after pitting under the VSC and now leads the championship by 81 points; he acknowledged afterward that 'today we didn't deserve to win' and that Norris 'deserved to win.'
- The VSC was called because Lance Stroll's Aston Martin stopped in the run-off at Turn 20, and the caution period lasted less than a full lap — the very brevity that trapped Norris.
- Andrea Stella conceded in hindsight that pitting before the VSC was deployed 'would have been a good idea,' but said the Madring's 27-second pit lane — the longest on the calendar — made a pre-emptive stop too risky to gamble the lead on.
- Max Verstappen also pitted under the VSC, recovered to second, and said 'we'll probably talk about it in the next briefing,' confirming with Norris that drivers had previously raised the scenario with the FIA.
- Stella floated the idea of a minimum one-lap VSC duration or similar fairness fix, but warned any change would need to clear the SAC, the F1 Commission, and the sporting regulations — 'a relatively lengthy process' without a big push from the FIA or F1.
- Norris had been leading by more than six seconds after 13 laps in Madrid, with Stella describing his pole lap as 'a masterpiece,' yet he finished third, losing five extra seconds to a right-hand tyre issue at his stop.
Why it matters: Antonelli's Spanish GP win — which he admitted he didn't deserve — extends his championship lead to 81 points on a race shaped by VSC timing rather than pace, as Norris was leading by six seconds before a single-lap caution erased the margin. Both Norris and Verstappen confirmed the scenario has been raised with the FIA before, but Stella cautioned any rule fix would be 'a relatively lengthy process' through the SAC and F1 Commission.
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