Antonelli wins the first Madring GP and stretches his lead to 81 points

Kimi Antonelli won the first Grand Prix held at the Madring ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Starting second, the Mercedes driver was not controlling the race: Norris had gradually built a lead of almost five seconds. The turning point came when a brake problem on Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin triggered a Virtual Safety Car. Antonelli stopped immediately, unlike the McLaren leader, and landed in the best strategic window.

Once Charles Leclerc finally pitted on lap 48, Antonelli inherited the lead and held off Verstappen and Norris. His eighth win of the season takes him to 292 points, against 211 for George Russell: the gap is now 81. With nine Grands Prix still to run, Madrid does not hand him the title, but it makes the second half of the season look even more like a chase.