2026 Spanish Grand Prix: Antonelli Wins at the Madring After a Virtual Safety Car Costs Norris

The 2026 Spanish Grand Prix was held at the Madring in Madrid on 13 September 2026, the first Grand Prix to be run at the circuit. Kimi Antonelli won for Mercedes ahead of Max Verstappen, while Lando Norris finished third after starting from pole. A virtual safety car at the wrong moment decided much of the race, and it was the fourteenth round of the 2026 season.

Why was the Madring race a first?

The Madring had never hosted a Formula One race before, and this was its first time as a host for the Spanish Grand Prix. It was the 56th running of the Spanish Grand Prix as a championship round. The most recent Spanish venue had been Barcelona-Catalunya at Montmelo, which had hosted the race under its own name in June. It now shares its Grand Prix slot on rotation with the Belgian Grand Prix.

The weekend ran from 11 to 13 September. Madrid had been nominated as a new Formula One host, and the event was the first race of the Madring circuit's history.

The drivers and teams matched the season entry list, except at Red Bull. Hadjar hurt his wrist ahead of the Dutch round and could not race again, so Liam Lawson stood in for him, as he had at the two previous rounds. Red Bull reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda then replaced Lawson at Racing Bulls.

Mercedes led the constructors' table with 468 points, ahead of Ferrari on 346 and McLaren on 287.

A new circuit, a caution that came at the wrong time for the pole-sitter and an Antonelli win that left Mercedes with the title lead.

Who won the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix?

Kimi Antonelli won for Mercedes, his eighth Grand Prix victory of the season. Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull, and Lando Norris took third for McLaren after starting from pole position. Antonelli reached the lead late in the race and held it to the flag.

Norris led much of the race from pole, but a virtual safety car for Lance Stroll's stop came when he was already past the pit entry. He had to make his stop while the rivals were back at racing speed, and a slow tyre change kept him stationary for around seven seconds. He rejoined fifth, and he had to fight back through traffic from there.

Antonelli admitted afterwards that Norris deserved the win, and that the circumstances dulled his own result. He stressed that he would take the remaining races one at a time rather than treat the championship as decided.

Practice at the Madring

Three free practice sessions were held. The first, on 11 September at 13:30 local time (UTC+2), was topped by Russell, ahead of Antonelli and Leclerc. The second, at 17:00 the same day, was led by Antonelli from Leclerc and Hamilton, and a red flag was shown when Arvid Lindblad hit the wall at turn 13.

The third session, on 12 September at 12:30, was topped by Antonelli ahead of Leclerc and Piastri. It was red-flagged twice, first after Hamilton crashed into the wall at turn 22 and later when Oliver Bearman hit the wall at turn 10. Bearman's car could not be repaired in time for qualifying, which left him out of the session.

How did qualifying set the grid?

Lando Norris took pole with 1:31.824, his third of the season and the 19th Grand Prix pole of his career. Antonelli was second, 0.011 seconds behind, and Verstappen was third, 0.140 seconds down. Hamilton and Leclerc were fourth and fifth, separated by 0.006 seconds.

Qualifying was held on 12 September at 16:00 local time. In the opening segment Antonelli set the early pace on soft tyres, and George Russell brushed the wall but improved on his final run. Alexander Albon secured the last place in Q2 by 0.005 seconds over Carlos Sainz Jr., who was eliminated alongside Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.

Oliver Bearman did not take part in qualifying because his car could not be repaired in time after his crash in final practice. He was allowed to race at the stewards' discretion but started from the pit lane after changes to his car under parc ferme conditions. Lance Stroll failed to set a time after a suspected water-pressure problem kept him in the garage, and he received a 40-place penalty for exceeding his power unit allocation.

Sainz was given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Bottas in the first segment. In the second segment Antonelli set the early benchmark, before Verstappen moved ahead by a small margin. Franco Colapinto abandoned his first attempt after a slide through the banked La Monumental corner, and Nico Hulkenberg missed the cut by 0.019 seconds. Gasly abandoned an earlier attempt after double yellow flags, and Tsunoda lost a lap for track limits. Piastri and Lindblad set identical times of 1:33.204 to take the last two Q3 places.

The final segment was a close fight. Hamilton set provisional pole with 1:32.079, and Antonelli moved to 1:31.835 on his final attempt before Norris set 1:31.824 despite a slide at the final corner. Verstappen improved to third, and Hamilton and Leclerc took fourth and fifth. Russell was sixth, Piastri seventh, Lawson eighth, Colapinto ninth and Lindblad tenth.

How did the race unfold?

Norris and Antonelli chose medium tyres for the start, while Verstappen and Hamilton started on softs. Leclerc, Russell, Piastri and Lawson selected hards, and Nico Hulkenberg was the other soft-tyre starter. Colapinto and Lindblad started on mediums, and most of the remaining field chose hards.

Norris led from pole until a virtual safety car for Stroll's brake problem on lap 14 caught him just past the pit entry. He stopped on lap 15 and lost around seven seconds in a slow tyre change, and rejoined fifth behind Leclerc, Antonelli, Verstappen and Russell. Antonelli and Verstappen had pitted under the same caution, and Antonelli went on to win.

Hamilton's brake pedal stopped responding normally as he approached turn 5, he hit a barrier, and the brakes worsened a few corners later, which forced his retirement. He had qualified within two tenths of pole, and his retirement ended a run of finishes in every Grand Prix of the season. Leclerc was then Ferrari's only car in the race.

Red Bull instructed Verstappen to restore the position to Hamilton on lap 4 to avoid a possible penalty. Verstappen complied, dropping from second to fourth, though he disputed the instruction over the radio. Antonelli had cut the opening chicane and handed back the lead, and then left the track again at turns 5 and 6, which let Verstappen take the position at turn 7. Verstappen had also run wide in his opening-corner battle with Hamilton, which left that position in question.

Sainz and Alonso collided while fighting for 17th, and Alonso's front wing was damaged. Sainz received a five-second time penalty. That clash also hurt both home drivers, who finished outside the points.

The virtual safety car on lap 14 was the decisive moment. Antonelli, Verstappen and Russell pitted at the end of that lap, while Norris had already passed the pit entry when the caution began. Leclerc stayed out and kept the lead for some time, but Ferrari eventually brought him in near the end of the race, when he rejoined fourth.

Mercedes used the virtual safety car to change Antonelli's tyres, losing less time than cars circulating at the reduced speed. Antonelli initially drew closer to Leclerc before the gap widened again. He reported an unusual feeling through the steering, although Mercedes told him its data showed no apparent problem. Sainz was later called into the pits to retire.

Piastri's race was compromised from the start when contact with Russell damaged his front wing. He stayed out until lap 42, and McLaren adjusted the wing during his stop rather than replacing it. Lawson stayed out until lap 44, and Piastri later passed Lindblad at turn 1. McLaren's attempt to bring him ahead of Lawson through an earlier stop was unsuccessful, because Lawson kept the position when he pitted.

Russell pitted again at the end of lap 28 for hard tyres, which promoted Norris to fourth. Russell questioned the decision over the radio, arguing that he could have kept Norris behind him. By the final ten laps Norris was within a second of Verstappen, which kept the McLaren in contention for a podium. Perez retired with a suspected water system problem in the middle stages. Gasly held out in the hope of a late neutralisation but had to stop under green flag conditions, which took him out of the points.

On the penultimate lap Verstappen ran into lapped traffic and left the track at the turn 5 chicane. Norris challenged him, arguing that the Red Bull had kept an advantage by leaving the track. The incident was reviewed with no further action, and Verstappen kept second. Norris was unable to complete a pass in the closing laps.

Bortoleto received a warning for moving under braking during a midfield battle. Near the front, Antonelli said he had brushed the wall at turn 7 late on, though he kept the lead.

Gasly was classified 12th after receiving a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Lindblad and Hulkenberg completed the points, while Esteban Ocon finished just outside the top ten.

What did the result mean for the title race?

Antonelli had led the drivers' table with 267 points before the race. He finished the weekend on 292 points, 81 clear of Russell and 106 ahead of Norris. Mercedes reached 503 points in the constructors' table, ahead of Ferrari on 358. Antonelli said he would approach the remaining races individually.

Norris attributed the result to the timing of the virtual safety car. He said his early speed had put him beyond the pit entry when the caution began, and he believed McLaren should have won. The circuit's limited overtaking places also drew criticism from drivers after their first Grand Prix at the Madring.

Antonelli's win was his eighth of the season. Antonelli also highlighted Mercedes' pace on the hard tyres.