Kimi Antonelli claimed victory in the inaugural Madrid Grand Prix after a decisive Virtual Safety Car swung the race away from pole-sitter Lando Norris, while Ferrari endured contrasting fortunes at Madring. Charles Leclerc finished fourth after leading deep into the race on an extraordinary hard-tyre strategy, but Lewis Hamilton retired after only a handful of laps because of a brake problem on his SF-26.
For Kimi Antonelli, it was a combination of pace, race management and fortunate timing. The Mercedes driver survived a complicated opening phase that included two moments of running wide and twice giving the position back to Lando Norris. He also benefited from the situation involving Max Verstappen, who had to slow after Red Bull instructed him to return a position to Lewis Hamilton following an opening-lap incident.
The decisive moment, however, arrived on lap 14. Lance Stroll stopped in the third sector and race control introduced a Virtual Safety Car only after race leader Lando Norris had already passed the pit-lane entry. That timing allowed Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen to make significantly cheaper stops under the VSC, completely changing the complexion of the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli emerged second behind Charles Leclerc, who had not stopped. From that point, the Mercedes driver simply had to wait for the Ferrari’s eventual pit stop before inheriting the lead and going on to secure his eighth victory of the season. The result also strengthened his position at the top of the championship, with his advantage over George Russell growing to 81 points.
Charles Leclerc stretches hard tyres to lap 49
Charles Leclerc produced one of the most striking strategic drives of the afternoon. Starting on the hard compound, the Monegasque extended his opening stint all the way to lap 49 and spent a significant part of the race hoping for another interruption that could reduce the time lost during his eventual pit stop.
The Ferrari driver managed the tyres exceptionally well and held the lead despite running the same set from the start. Ultimately, however, the hoped-for Safety Car or another favourable interruption never arrived. Charles Leclerc finally stopped on lap 49, surrendered first place and rejoined on soft tyres.
The closing phase proved more difficult than expected. Charles Leclerc struggled to find enough pace on the soft compound, allowing George Russell to close in and turning fourth place into a battle. In the end, the Ferrari driver had to settle for a frustrating fourth position after spending so much of the afternoon at the head of the field.
Lewis Hamilton’s Madrid GP ends with Ferrari brake problem
Lewis Hamilton’s race lasted only a few laps. The British driver had started on soft tyres and was involved in the fight near the front immediately after the lights went out, but his afternoon quickly unravelled when a braking problem developed on the SF-26.
The issue became apparent while Lewis Hamilton was still involved in the opening battle with Max Verstappen. His pace rapidly deteriorated, allowing the Red Bull driver to pass before Charles Leclerc was also allowed through. The seven-time world champion then dropped towards the rear of the field and brought the car into the pits, ending his Spanish Grand Prix. The sequence of events surrounding the Ferrari brake problem that ended Lewis Hamilton’s race completed a painful afternoon for one side of the Maranello garage.
Max Verstappen takes second after opening-lap controversy
Max Verstappen delivered a solid race to finish second after an eventful start involving Lewis Hamilton. The Red Bull driver cut the chicane during their opening battle and was subsequently told to return the position to the Ferrari.
That was not straightforward. Before allowing Lewis Hamilton back through, Max Verstappen first had to let Kimi Antonelli go ahead and then wait for the Ferrari driver, who had already lost ground because of his developing brake problem. Max Verstappen later regained the place when Lewis Hamilton’s difficulties worsened.
The Red Bull driver then received the same strategic benefit as Kimi Antonelli when the Virtual Safety Car appeared on lap 14. By stopping while the field was neutralised, Max Verstappen was able to jump Lando Norris and eventually secure second place behind the Mercedes winner.
Lando Norris loses out after delayed Virtual Safety Car
Lando Norris had the greatest reason to regret the timing of the VSC. The McLaren driver had started from pole position and controlled the opening stages with strong pace, building a gap of more than four seconds while the drivers behind fought over track position.
But when Lance Stroll stopped with a brake failure in the third sector on lap 14, Lando Norris had already gone beyond the pit entry by the time the Virtual Safety Car was activated. Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen were therefore able to stop under neutralised conditions, while the McLaren driver had to wait until the end of the VSC period before making his own stop.
That sequence dropped Lando Norris behind Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen. Although the McLaren driver later recovered to challenge the Red Bull, the strategic damage had already been done.
Madrid GP race: different tyre choices at the start
At the start, Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli selected the medium compound, while third-placed Max Verstappen opted for soft tyres. Lewis Hamilton also started his Ferrari on softs, whereas Charles Leclerc chose the hard compound, as did George Russell and Oscar Piastri.
When the lights went out, Lando Norris retained first place after Kimi Antonelli ran across the chicane twice from alongside the McLaren. The Mercedes driver was required to return the position to the reigning world champion on both occasions.
Max Verstappen also capitalised on Kimi Antonelli’s mistake, but the Red Bull driver then cut Turn 1 while battling Lewis Hamilton and reclaimed provisional third place. The Ferrari driver immediately complained over team radio: “Max has to give me the position back!”
Max Verstappen responded over the radio: “Lewis almost pushed me off.” There was also contact between George Russell’s Mercedes and Oscar Piastri’s McLaren during the frantic opening phase.
Red Bull tells Max Verstappen to give the place back
Lando Norris quickly imposed a strong pace at the front as he attempted to break clear of Max Verstappen, with Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton following behind. On lap four, Red Bull instructed Max Verstappen to return the position to Lewis Hamilton following the opening-lap incident.
The manoeuvre proved complicated because Max Verstappen first needed to allow Kimi Antonelli past and then wait for Lewis Hamilton, who had already fallen back because of the brake problem developing on his Ferrari. The opening-lap dispute between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen briefly changed the order before the SF-26’s technical trouble rendered the fight irrelevant.
Lewis Hamilton’s difficulties continued and Max Verstappen quickly passed him again. The British driver then allowed Charles Leclerc through. By lap six, Lewis Hamilton had dropped behind the rest of the group and headed towards the Ferrari pits.
Kimi Antonelli benefits as the Virtual Safety Car changes the race
At the front, Lando Norris continued to set a strong pace and opened a gap of more than four seconds over Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes driver had another off-track moment and was also dealing with the beginnings of blistering on his left-front tyre.
Behind the top three, fourth-placed George Russell asked Mercedes to consider an undercut strategy in an attempt to get ahead of Charles Leclerc. Further back, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz were involved in an all-Spanish collision, with Fernando Alonso’s front wing making contact with the right-rear of the Williams. Carlos Sainz received a five-second penalty.
The race changed dramatically on lap 14 when Lance Stroll was forced to park his Aston Martin in the third sector because of a brake failure. Race control deployed the Virtual Safety Car, but among the leaders only Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen were in a position to take immediate advantage. Lando Norris had already passed the pit entry.
The McLaren world champion therefore stopped only after the VSC period had ended, allowing Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen to move ahead of him.
Charles Leclerc surprises Mercedes with his hard-tyre pace
Despite fitting a fresh set of hard tyres, second-placed Kimi Antonelli initially struggled to reduce the gap to Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver was still using the hard tyres fitted before the start, yet his pace remained surprisingly strong. At the same time, those behind knew they could afford to wait because Charles Leclerc would eventually need to stop.
On lap 24, Kimi Antonelli began to worry about the behaviour of his car and asked Mercedes to check it because of a strange feeling through the steering. The team replied that there was no problem with the number 12 W17 and instructed the Italian driver to avoid further track-limits violations.
George Russell brought the other Mercedes into the pits on lap 29 and switched to hard tyres, clearing the way for fourth-placed Lando Norris.
By lap 31, Charles Leclerc was still running the tyres with which he had started the Grand Prix and produced an excellent 1:37.8, his personal best of the race at that stage. The Ferrari driver continued to hope for a Safety Car that could transform his long first stint into a major strategic advantage.
There was meanwhile a tense moment for Lando Norris when the McLaren driver came close to the wall while trying to reduce the gap to third-placed Max Verstappen. By lap 42, the British driver had achieved that objective and was right on the Red Bull’s tail.
Charles Leclerc pits and Kimi Antonelli takes the lead
On lap 44, Kimi Antonelli began to increase the pressure and reduce Charles Leclerc’s advantage. Behind them, the developing fight between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris was also producing strong lap times, raising the prospect of an intriguing final battle for victory.
Charles Leclerc finally stopped on lap 49 after an impressive opening stint on the hard compound. His pit stop handed the race lead to Kimi Antonelli, while the Ferrari returned to the circuit on soft tyres.
The leading three then monitored one another from a distance. Kimi Antonelli had another nervous moment on lap 52 when he came extremely close to the wall, although the Mercedes escaped without damage.
For Charles Leclerc, however, the closing stages became more complicated. The soft tyres did not immediately provide the pace he needed, allowing George Russell to close rapidly and turning fourth position into the Ferrari driver’s final major battle of the afternoon.
Ultimately, Kimi Antonelli converted the VSC opportunity into his eighth victory of the season, with Max Verstappen finishing second and Lando Norris third. Charles Leclerc took fourth after his ambitious one-stop strategy, while Lewis Hamilton’s early retirement left Ferrari with a bittersweet result at a circuit where the SF-26 had been expected to find conditions better suited to its characteristics than Monza.
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