Antonelli wins Spain GP in Madrid as Verstappen and Norris complete the podium
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16 Sept 2026Antonelli wins Spain GP in Madrid as Verstappen and Norris complete the podium
Andrea Kimi Antonelli won a sun-soaked 57-lap Spain GP at Circuito de Madring, topping a tense fight at the front. The Mercedes driver timed his one-stop strategy and late pace to perfection. Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull Racing, with Lando Norris third for McLaren after starting on pole. You can relive the full timing and stint data on the Spain GP page on Sofascore.
It was a day of heat management as much as speed, with track temperatures peaking at 53.4°C and dry, sunny conditions. Hard tyres did the heavy lifting late, and small details decided big positions.
Antonelli keeps cool in the Madrid heat
Starting from P2, Antonelli ran an opening 14 laps on mediums before switching to hards for the remaining 43. He led 10 laps overall, saving his pace for the stretch that mattered. Norris, who began from P1, headed the field for 15 laps but could not hold the late surge. Charles Leclerc’s long first stint on hards helped him control 32 laps before fading to P4. Verstappen kept the pressure on throughout but could not close the final gap.
The Mercedes win was sealed with tidy execution and clean air when it counted. Antonelli’s race time was 1:34:23.754, finishing 4.351 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Norris crossed the line 5.089 behind the winner, just 0.738 off P2. The final-lap push was sharp too, as Antonelli logged a personal best of 1:36.030 on lap 57. In hot Madrid air at 31.6°C and 22 percent humidity, the hard tyre carried the decisive weight. For Mercedes, it was a composed, very warm day’s work.
Strategy shaped the podium
The frontrunners converged on a clear template. Norris went M15 then H42 for a single stop, giving him strong early traction. Leclerc inverted the script with a bold H48 then S9, which delivered track position and those 32 laps led for Ferrari. Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing opened on S14 then H43, leaning on late durability and solid exit speed. Antonelli’s M14 then H43 matched the winning window and protected tyre life in the heat.
Most stops clustered around laps 14 to 15 as teams ducked out of high-deg territory. The exception was George Russell, who split stints H14, M14, H29 and still climbed into P5. Oscar Piastri mirrored the common one-stopper with H42 then M15 for P8 with McLaren. Liam Lawson stretched H44 then M13 to secure P6 with late grip. Under a 53.4°C track, longer hard stints paid off, and the one-stopper looked like the right read.
Fastest lap and midfield movers
Russell took the fastest lap with a 1:35.587 on lap 49, setting the new Madring benchmark while finishing fifth. His two-stop plan worked once clean air arrived. Just ahead of the midfield, Lawson delivered P6 from P8 on the grid with mature tyre care. Franco Colapinto put Alpine in P7, gaining two spots against the grid and keeping it tidy.
Piastri brought home P8 after starting P7, a steady run on a day where tyre temps did the talking. Arvid Lindblad scored P9, one lap down, as the Racing Bulls rookie kept mistakes off the sheet. Nico Hülkenberg completed the points in P10 for Audi after a one-stop H stint to the flag. Esteban Ocon was P11, and Pierre Gasly P12 for Alpine after a 5-second penalty, despite a marathon 56-lap run on hards.
Home stories, DNFs and final notes
Local favourite Fernando Alonso finished P17 for Aston Martin, two laps down after a mixed two-stop day. Valtteri Bottas ended P18 for Cadillac, three laps down after a late soft run. Alexander Albon took P15 for Williams, while Oliver Bearman recovered to P16 after starting from the pit lane. Not finishing were Carlos Sainz Jr. on lap 45, Sergio Perez on lap 33, Lance Stroll on lap 15, and Lewis Hamilton on lap 5.
The front was close, but small strategy calls separated the podium. Antonelli banked 25 points, with Verstappen on 18 and Norris on 15. Leclerc’s bold long run yielded P4 and 12 points after leading the majority of laps. For lap geeks, Russell’s 1:35.587 fastest tour is the time to beat next year. Check full stints, lap charts and every sector on Sofascore’s Spain GP hub, and follow Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, McLaren and Ferrari profiles for the next moves.
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli won a sun-soaked 57-lap Spain GP at Circuito de Madring, topping a tense fight at the front. The Mercedes driver timed his one-stop strategy and late pace to perfection. Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull Racing, with Lando Norris third for McLaren after starting on pole. You can relive the full timing and stint data on the Spain GP page on Sofascore.
It was a day of heat management as much as speed, with track temperatures peaking at 53.4°C and dry, sunny conditions. Hard tyres did the heavy lifting late, and small details decided big positions.
Antonelli keeps cool in the Madrid heat
Starting from P2, Antonelli ran an opening 14 laps on mediums before switching to hards for the remaining 43. He led 10 laps overall, saving his pace for the stretch that mattered. Norris, who began from P1, headed the field for 15 laps but could not hold the late surge. Charles Leclerc’s long first stint on hards helped him control 32 laps before fading to P4. Verstappen kept the pressure on throughout but could not close the final gap.
The Mercedes win was sealed with tidy execution and clean air when it counted. Antonelli’s race time was 1:34:23.754, finishing 4.351 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Norris crossed the line 5.089 behind the winner, just 0.738 off P2. The final-lap push was sharp too, as Antonelli logged a personal best of 1:36.030 on lap 57. In hot Madrid air at 31.6°C and 22 percent humidity, the hard tyre carried the decisive weight. For Mercedes, it was a composed, very warm day’s work.
Strategy shaped the podium
The frontrunners converged on a clear template. Norris went M15 then H42 for a single stop, giving him strong early traction. Leclerc inverted the script with a bold H48 then S9, which delivered track position and those 32 laps led for Ferrari. Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing opened on S14 then H43, leaning on late durability and solid exit speed. Antonelli’s M14 then H43 matched the winning window and protected tyre life in the heat.
Most stops clustered around laps 14 to 15 as teams ducked out of high-deg territory. The exception was George Russell, who split stints H14, M14, H29 and still climbed into P5. Oscar Piastri mirrored the common one-stopper with H42 then M15 for P8 with McLaren. Liam Lawson stretched H44 then M13 to secure P6 with late grip. Under a 53.4°C track, longer hard stints paid off, and the one-stopper looked like the right read.
Fastest lap and midfield movers
Russell took the fastest lap with a 1:35.587 on lap 49, setting the new Madring benchmark while finishing fifth. His two-stop plan worked once clean air arrived. Just ahead of the midfield, Lawson delivered P6 from P8 on the grid with mature tyre care. Franco Colapinto put Alpine in P7, gaining two spots against the grid and keeping it tidy.
Piastri brought home P8 after starting P7, a steady run on a day where tyre temps did the talking. Arvid Lindblad scored P9, one lap down, as the Racing Bulls rookie kept mistakes off the sheet. Nico Hülkenberg completed the points in P10 for Audi after a one-stop H stint to the flag. Esteban Ocon was P11, and Pierre Gasly P12 for Alpine after a 5-second penalty, despite a marathon 56-lap run on hards.
Home stories, DNFs and final notes
Local favourite Fernando Alonso finished P17 for Aston Martin, two laps down after a mixed two-stop day. Valtteri Bottas ended P18 for Cadillac, three laps down after a late soft run. Alexander Albon took P15 for Williams, while Oliver Bearman recovered to P16 after starting from the pit lane. Not finishing were Carlos Sainz Jr. on lap 45, Sergio Perez on lap 33, Lance Stroll on lap 15, and Lewis Hamilton on lap 5.
The front was close, but small strategy calls separated the podium. Antonelli banked 25 points, with Verstappen on 18 and Norris on 15. Leclerc’s bold long run yielded P4 and 12 points after leading the majority of laps. For lap geeks, Russell’s 1:35.587 fastest tour is the time to beat next year. Check full stints, lap charts and every sector on Sofascore’s Spain GP hub, and follow Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, McLaren and Ferrari profiles for the next moves.