Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli claimed victory at the Spanish Grand Prix after McLaren’s Lando Norris lost a likely win due to the timing of a Virtual Safety Car (VSC).
Norris started from pole position and appeared to be in control of the race when the VSC was deployed on lap 15.
However, the timing worked heavily against the McLaren driver, who had already passed the pit entry when the caution period was introduced.
Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen were able to pit under the VSC, gaining valuable time, while Norris had to complete another lap before he could make his stop.
By the time Norris reached the pits, the VSC had ended. His stop was then delayed by problems with the right-side wheels, taking around seven seconds instead of the usual two.
Norris rejoined in fifth place, around 6.3 seconds behind Mercedes teammate George Russell, effectively ending his hopes of victory.
He eventually recovered to third but was unable to overtake Verstappen in the closing stages despite running close behind the Red Bull.
Antonelli went on to claim his eighth victory in 14 races this season, strengthening his grip on the championship.
The Italian now leads Mercedes teammate Russell by 81 points, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton is a further 20 points behind in third after retiring early with brake failure.
“It’s good to win but it doesn’t feel as good because Lando deserved to win,” Antonelli said after the race.
Norris accepted the setback, saying: “We’ll take it on the chin. There could be more wins this year.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth after initially benefiting from a different tyre strategy. He had started on hard tyres and stayed out during the VSC, hoping another safety car would allow him to make a cheaper pit stop.
No further safety car appeared, forcing Leclerc to pit on lap 48. He rejoined in fourth behind Antonelli, Verstappen and Norris.
Russell finished fifth after a difficult race involving several strategic changes. He switched from hard tyres to mediums during the VSC before making another stop for hards around the halfway point.
Red Bull’s Liam Lawson finished sixth, followed by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Piastri’s race was compromised after he suffered front-wing damage in a first-lap collision with Russell.
Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad secured ninth place, while Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
The inaugural race at Madrid’s new Madring circuit also highlighted concerns over overtaking, with drivers struggling to make passes despite the track being designed specifically for Formula 1.
Norris spent the final laps behind Verstappen but could not find a way past. Verstappen was also investigated after cutting a chicane while defending his position, but officials took no further action.
The difficulty of overtaking is expected to increase pressure on organisers to modify the circuit layout for future races, potentially by adding a longer straight and a larger braking zone.
Formula 1 now leaves Europe and heads to Azerbaijan for the first race of a triple-header from September 24 to 26.
The Baku race will take place on Saturday to avoid a clash with an Azerbaijani national day on Sunday.