Antonelli wins the first Madring Grand Prix as the VSC catches Norris out
The short version
Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix, the first F1 race at Madrid's new Madring circuit, 4.351s ahead of Max Verstappen. Pole-sitter Lando Norris finished third. A Virtual Safety Car came just after Norris had passed the pit entry, so Antonelli and Verstappen could pit and he couldn't. Lewis Hamilton retired with brake failure, his first DNF for Ferrari.
- 4.351sMargin of victory
- 1:35.587Fastest lap · Russell
- P22 → P16Bearman · biggest mover (+6)
- 4Retirements · incl. Sainz, Pérez
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Max Verstappen
Lando Norris
Madrid’s first Grand Prix went to Kimi Antonelli. The championship leader won the first race at the Madring for his eighth win of 2026.
Norris leads, then the VSC comes at the wrong moment
Lando Norris converted pole and led, while Antonelli went off track twice on the opening lap. Early in the race Lewis Hamilton retired with a brake failure, his first DNF of the season. The key moment came when Lance Stroll crashed at Turn 20. The Virtual Safety Car came out just after Norris had passed the pit entry, while Antonelli, Max Verstappen and George Russell all pitted cheaply behind him. When Norris did pit, a slow front-right tyre change cost him more time.
Verstappen chases
Verstappen was ordered to give a position back to Hamilton early in the race, but he recovered and pressured Antonelli in the closing laps. He finished 4.351s behind. Norris held on for third, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Russell.
A new venue
The Madring runs through the IFEMA area of north-east Madrid and features “La Monumental”, a steeply banked corner. It was Madrid’s first F1 race since Jarama in 1981, and the heat made it tough going, with track temperatures above 50°C. Oliver Bearman started from the pit lane after a crash in final practice.
Antonelli leads by 81 points with nine rounds left.
Key moments
- StartNorris leads from pole. Antonelli goes off track twice on the opening lap but keeps second.
- EarlyHamilton retires with a brake failure, his first retirement of the season.
- VSCLance Stroll crashes at Turn 20. Norris has just passed the pit entry, while Antonelli, Verstappen and Russell all pit.
- FlagNorris has a slow stop and drops behind. Verstappen pressures Antonelli late on but finishes 4.3s back.
Race classification
2026 Spanish Grand Prix · official classification| Pos | Driver | Time / Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:34:23.754 | 25 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | +4.351 | 18 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | +5.089 | 15 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | +29.116 | 12 |
| 5 | George Russell | +29.829 | 10 |
| 6 | Liam Lawson | +1:26.746 | 8 |
| 7 | Franco Colapinto | +1:34.281 | 6 |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | +1:35.839 | 4 |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | +1 Lap | 2 |
| 10 | Nico Hülkenberg | +1 Lap | 1 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 14 | Yuki Tsunoda | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 15 | Alexander Albon | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | +3 Laps | 0 |
Source: official results on Formula1.com, including post-race penalties.
Did not finish
4 retirements| Driver | Reason |
|---|---|
| Carlos Sainz | Retired |
| Sergio Pérez | Retired |
| Lance Stroll | Accident |
| Lewis Hamilton | Brakes |
Weekend sessions
Practice, qualifying · tap to expandClassifications update on their own, within about 10 minutes of being published.
Practice 1
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | 1:34.077 | 28 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:34.363 | 27 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | 1:34.536 | 27 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:34.620 | 27 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | 1:34.703 | 25 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | 1:34.947 | 27 |
| 7 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:35.033 | 28 |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | 1:35.148 | 22 |
| 9 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:35.529 | 26 |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | 1:35.539 | 26 |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:35.652 | 27 |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | 1:35.834 | 25 |
| 13 | Franco Colapinto | 1:35.933 | 24 |
| 14 | Pierre Gasly | 1:36.244 | 23 |
| 15 | Fernando Alonso | 1:36.473 | 27 |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | 1:36.853 | 24 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | 1:36.870 | 30 |
| 18 | Yuki Tsunoda | 1:36.939 | 16 |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | 1:37.254 | 26 |
| 20 | Alexander Albon | 1:37.591 | 25 |
| 21 | Sergio Pérez | 1:38.150 | 26 |
| 22 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:38.818 | 25 |
Practice 2
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:33.662 | 24 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | 1:33.775 | 26 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:33.811 | 23 |
| 4 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:33.890 | 15 |
| 5 | George Russell | 1:33.999 | 25 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | 1:34.063 | 22 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | 1:34.200 | 24 |
| 8 | Yuki Tsunoda | 1:34.758 | 26 |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | 1:34.867 | 26 |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | 1:34.938 | 21 |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | 1:34.959 | 21 |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:35.060 | 22 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:35.170 | 25 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | 1:35.203 | 26 |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | 1:35.886 | 22 |
| 16 | Carlos Sainz | 1:36.291 | 25 |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | 1:36.780 | 16 |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | 1:36.936 | 22 |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | 1:37.195 | 24 |
| 20 | Lance Stroll | 1:37.273 | 20 |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:37.727 | 24 |
| 22 | Lando Norris | — | 2 |
Practice 3
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:32.797 | 13 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | 1:32.963 | 13 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | 1:32.986 | 12 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | 1:33.033 | 13 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | 1:33.172 | 9 |
| 6 | George Russell | 1:33.499 | 11 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | 1:33.902 | 14 |
| 8 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:33.933 | 14 |
| 9 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:34.284 | 5 |
| 10 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:34.288 | 15 |
| 11 | Franco Colapinto | 1:34.346 | 14 |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | 1:34.430 | 12 |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | 1:34.481 | 12 |
| 14 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:34.505 | 7 |
| 15 | Yuki Tsunoda | 1:34.565 | 12 |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly | 1:34.971 | 13 |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | 1:35.020 | 17 |
| 18 | Carlos Sainz | 1:35.464 | 15 |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | 1:35.570 | 12 |
| 20 | Sergio Pérez | 1:36.441 | 13 |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:36.670 | 13 |
| 22 | Alexander Albon | — | 2 |
Qualifying
| Pos | Driver | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | 1:33.469 | 1:32.873 | 1:31.824 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:33.267 | 1:32.591 | 1:31.835 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | 1:33.381 | 1:32.431 | 1:31.964 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:33.531 | 1:32.710 | 1:32.013 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | 1:33.532 | 1:32.755 | 1:32.019 |
| 6 | George Russell | 1:33.211 | 1:32.850 | 1:32.149 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | 1:33.829 | 1:33.204 | 1:32.294 |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | 1:33.310 | 1:32.780 | 1:32.316 |
| 9 | Franco Colapinto | 1:33.963 | 1:33.038 | 1:32.903 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:34.340 | 1:33.204 | 1:33.041 |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:34.417 | 1:33.223 | — |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:33.986 | 1:33.388 | — |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | 1:34.667 | 1:33.667 | — |
| 14 | Pierre Gasly | 1:34.246 | 1:33.753 | — |
| 15 | Yuki Tsunoda | 1:34.311 | 1:34.084 | — |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | 1:35.307 | 1:35.532 | — |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | 1:35.312 | — | — |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | 1:35.388 | — | — |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | 1:35.913 | — | — |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:38.011 | — | — |
| NC | Lance Stroll | — | — | — |
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) won the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix at Madring on 13 September 2026, finishing 4.351s ahead of Max Verstappen in a race time of 1:34:23.754.
Who finished on the podium at the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix?
P1 Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), P2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull), P3 Lando Norris (McLaren).
Who set the fastest lap at the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix?
George Russell set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:35.587.
How many drivers retired from the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix?
4 drivers did not finish: Carlos Sainz (retired), Sergio Pérez (retired), Lance Stroll (accident), Lewis Hamilton (brakes).
What is the Madring?
The Madring is Madrid's new F1 circuit, built around the IFEMA exhibition centre. It is 5.414 km long with 22 turns and includes 'La Monumental', a steeply banked corner. It hosted its first Spanish Grand Prix on 13 September 2026, Madrid's first F1 race since Jarama in 1981.
Why did Lando Norris lose the lead in Madrid?
A Virtual Safety Car came out just after Norris had passed the pit entry, so he couldn't take the cheap stop that Antonelli and Verstappen got. His own stop later included a slow front-right tyre change.