Andrea Kimi Antonelli has revealed that he deliberately slowed on the approach to the pits in Madrid in an attempt to catch the Virtual Safety Car window that ultimately helped him secure his eighth Formula 1 victory of the season. The Mercedes driver admitted that Lando Norris deserved to win the Spanish Grand Prix, but his quick thinking and Mercedes’ rapid reaction allowed him to take full advantage when the race suddenly changed.
The victory extended Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s championship advantage over team-mate George Russell to 81 points, further strengthening his position at the top of the 2026 standings. Russell finished the race in sixth position after another difficult weekend, while Lewis Hamilton’s retirement also strengthened Antonelli’s advantage over the other leading championship contenders.
Kimi Antonelli admits Lando Norris deserved the Madrid victory
The Spanish Grand Prix was anything but straightforward for Antonelli, particularly when it came to managing the tyres around the demanding Madring circuit.
“It was an extremely complicated race, far from easy, especially in terms of tyre management,” Andrea Kimi Antonelli explained.
Despite standing on the top step of the podium, the Italian was not entirely satisfied with the manner in which victory arrived. Lance Stroll’s retirement triggered the Virtual Safety Car that transformed the race and allowed Antonelli to stop at a greatly reduced time loss, while Norris had already passed the pit entry.
Antonelli therefore made no attempt to disguise the role fortune played, echoing his immediate admission that Lando Norris deserved the Spanish Grand Prix victory.
“Standing on the top step of the podium is obviously fantastic. However, it feels different because I think Lando deserved the win today and he was unlucky with the Virtual Safety Car.”
Antonelli deliberately slowed to maximise the VSC opportunity
Although fortune created the opportunity, Antonelli also revealed that he actively tried to maximise it once race engineer Peter “Bono” Bonnington warned him that a Virtual Safety Car could be imminent.
“For me, the timing was perfect. Bono warned me, right as I was entering the final sector, that we might get a Virtual Safety Car. So I slowed down. I slowed down a little deliberately, just to try to get the VSC before the pit entry. And this time it worked out really well.”
The intervention was decisive. Norris had controlled the race before the neutralisation, but the timing left the McLaren driver unable to benefit from the cheap pit stop available to Antonelli and several of his rivals.
Antonelli nevertheless remained clear about where he believed the competitive balance had stood before the VSC intervened.
“I think overall Lando deserved the victory today. But we’ll take it, and now we’ll move forward and try to understand what we can improve so that we can keep going like this.”
The episode underlined the combination of fortune and execution that shaped Mercedes’ victory. The VSC itself was outside the team’s control, but Antonelli and his engineers recognised the opportunity immediately and reacted within seconds.
Mercedes pace gives Antonelli confidence beyond the lucky break
Looking beyond the decisive neutralisation, Antonelli was encouraged by Mercedes’ overall performance across the Madrid weekend.
“Regardless of the incidents, we produced a very solid performance, backed up by excellent pace. Now we have to keep pushing hard event after event, because we need to confirm these performances and only draw the final conclusions at the end of the year.”
That underlying speed is important because the W17’s development has not stopped. Mercedes has already adjusted its programme as a significant W17 upgrade package takes shape, with another important development expected during the Asian leg of the season.
McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari have all demonstrated enough speed to challenge Mercedes at different circuits, meaning Antonelli cannot simply rely on his championship advantage even as the margin continues to grow.
Antonelli refuses to think about the 2026 F1 title
With an 81-point advantage over George Russell, the discussion around Antonelli is inevitably shifting towards when rather than whether he might secure his first Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship. The Italian, however, insists that he does not want the standings to alter his approach.
“Yeah, I mean, you know, we’re taking it one race at a time without trying to get carried away,” Antonelli said. “Let’s enjoy it as much as possible and keep raising the bar because McLaren is definitely very fast.”
“Red Bull with Max was very fast and Ferrari was also among the best. So it’s definitely going to be tough, but yeah, we’ll try to do our best and achieve good results week after week.”
That race-by-race mentality has been a recurring feature of Antonelli’s championship campaign. Toto Wolff has previously been reluctant to describe the young Italian as the definitive title favourite, even when Antonelli already held a 50-point championship advantage.
The gap has now grown considerably further. Hamilton remains third in the championship after his Madrid retirement, five points ahead of Norris in fourth, while Antonelli has opened an increasingly imposing margin over all of them.
Antonelli thanks Madrid fans after eighth win of 2026
The Italian also praised the atmosphere surrounding Formula 1’s first Grand Prix weekend at the new Madrid circuit.
“It was an incredible weekend. I want to thank all the fans for coming and for the incredible energy they showed. I can’t wait to come back here next year.”
The result added another chapter to a remarkable season for Antonelli, whose success has also helped fuel growing interest in Italian motorsport.
Madrid may not have produced his most dominant victory, and Antonelli himself was the first to acknowledge that Norris had been the deserving winner on pure race performance. Yet the afternoon also highlighted another championship quality: recognising an opportunity immediately when circumstances change.
Antonelli could not control when the Virtual Safety Car appeared. What he could control was his response. By listening to Bonnington, deliberately adjusting his speed and positioning himself for the pit entry, he ensured Mercedes was ready to capitalise when the opportunity arrived.
Eight victories and an 81-point lead now place the championship increasingly within reach. Antonelli, though, remains determined not to treat it that way just yet. For the Mercedes driver, the message remains simple: one race at a time.
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