(Motorsport-Total.com) – “I didn’t want to win like this. This time we didn’t deserve the victory,” said Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli after the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid on Sky – surprising with these statements, as moments earlier he had extended his lead in the Formula 1 drivers’ standings with his eighth win of the season.
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But Antonelli did not feel entirely comfortable with the result: “Of course, it’s nice to win, and I think the pace at the end was good. But if I’m realistic and honest, then Lando Norris deserved to win.”
It turned out differently – because the race control called a virtual safety car phase (VSC), to which Norris as the leader could not react. Antonelli, on the other hand, did: He pitted, saving a lot of time under the VSC and later took the lead because Norris could no longer make his pit stop under the VSC.
Therefore, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff also explained on Sky: “The VSC situation obviously went against McLaren. But I think we had no luck with VSC and safety car phases all year. They always came at inconvenient times. This time we benefited from it and won the race.”
How quickly Mercedes reacted
But Mercedes had to act quickly: Pit stop yes or no – this quick decision was the key to success in Madrid. According to Wolff, the processes at Mercedes “really worked excellently.”
He explained: His team’s strategy group is particularly attentive during incidents on track. When Lance Stroll rolled out in the Aston Martin, Mercedes reacted immediately.
“Someone said roughly: ‘This won’t be cleared quickly if the Aston Martin is stuck in the wall.’ Then it went from the strategy department to [race engineer] Bono [Bonnington], Bono checked it again, and from Bono it went to Kimi. That was all. We’re talking about three seconds here,” said Wolff.
Peter Bonnington had previously alerted Antonelli to Stroll’s incident and, given the yellow flags, urged him to “lift.” Shortly after, he gave Antonelli the radio message: “You are in the safety car window.” Then came the command to turn into the pit lane because the VSC was now in effect – all within a few corners in the third sector.
Norris misses the pit stop window under VSC
But where Antonelli had perfect timing, Norris’s calculation did not work out: When the virtual safety car phase was called, he was already back at the start of the main straight and a lap later had no chance to make his pit stop under the VSC as well: The virtual safety car phase was already over then.
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Should McLaren have anticipated the situation better? Wolff said on ORF: “Obviously, there are two schools of thought: Either you come into the pits and give up the lead, or you keep him out a bit longer and hope for a red flag or an incident. So I think McLaren wanted to go for the win – just like Ferrari.”
Neither for Norris nor later for Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc did the race develop as desired: There was no further incident or even a red flag – both could have brought them back into the game.
Antonelli: Too aggressive against Norris at the start?
Antonelli, on the other hand, believes he almost cost himself all chances: He criticizes his behavior in the race start phase. “I was a bit too aggressive there and put myself in a bad position. I definitely need to work on that,” said Antonelli.
“I tried twice [against Norris], but it didn’t work. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have tried because I got caught by Max. So I didn’t do a few things very well. But all in all, it went well, and I’m happy about that.”
Team principal Wolff is also satisfied, especially with “Kimi’s speed.” However, he emphasizes: Antonelli was only “almost error-free”: “In the end, he still kissed the wall. That always gets on my nerves a bit, but it’s okay.”
Antonelli benefits from Verstappen maneuver
Also positive for Antonelli: He regained the position against Verstappen without a fight because the latter gained an advantage off-track in a duel with Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen gave that advantage back by letting Hamilton pass again – but Antonelli was already in between and therefore also passed Verstappen.
“That was a bit unfortunate for Max,” said Wolff. “But I think he had no other choice. The race control said he had to give the places back. And we benefited from that.”
In summary, that makes two situations that played into Antonelli’s hands. That’s why the championship leader said after his win: “I think second place would probably have been the appropriate result for us – or even third.”
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