The new Formula 1 track, Norris's setback, and Antonelli's +81

The Formula 1 race for the Spanish Grand Prix took place in Madrid. Andrea Kimi Antonelli took the win, while Max Verstappen and Lando Norris finished on the podium.

Everything Went Antonelli’s Way

It wouldn’t be fair to say that Andrea Kimi didn’t deserve the win in Madrid at all, but he clearly did far less to earn it than he did a week ago at Monza; nevertheless, he calmly did his job and didn’t make a single mistake. Antonelli lost both qualifying and the race start to Norris, and given the difficult conditions for overtaking, it was hard for the overall standings leader to count on a victory.

But the safety car intervened due to Lance Stroll’s stoppage: Norris was in an awkward spot on the track and didn’t have time to pull into the pits, while his rivals did.

A lap later, the reigning champion went in for a tire change, but the mechanics took too long at the pit stop, ultimately dashing Norris’s chances of victory.

Antonelli acknowledged this and even added that the victory in Madrid didn’t feel quite as satisfying due to the element of luck. Lando himself put it correctly: that’s racing.

The Briton claimed his first Formula 1 victory in a similar fashion in Miami.

Qualifying Surprises Again

At the previous race in Monza, Pierre Gasly shocked fans and rivals with a lap in qualifying, and in Madrid, Lando Norris did the same. The reigning champion’s pole position shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the circumstances are worth considering. During practice and in the first segments of qualifying, McLaren looked slower not only than Mercedes but also than Ferrari and Red Bull, and Norris himself missed one practice session due to technical issues.

And yet that didn’t stop him from putting together a sensational final lap, during which there appeared to be contact with the wall.

After the session, Fernando Alonso once again complained that today’s F1 cars offer no challenge and that drivers can’t showcase their skills. It seems to me that Fernando should take a look at Norris’s lap, as he did exactly that—he demonstrated skill and, under difficult conditions, found those extra thousandths of a second to secure pole position in a car that wasn’t the fastest.

What do you think of the track in Madrid?

F1 took the Spanish Grand Prix status away from Barcelona and gave it to Madrid, although at first it seemed that the track in Catalonia would continue to be called the Spanish Grand Prix, while the capital would host the Madrid Grand Prix. Either way, the street circuit itself turned out to be quite interesting. It challenges the drivers and has its own unique features.

The cool banked turn—or “banking”—is definitely a crowd-pleaser and looks great on TV. The bank is even steeper than at Zandvoort, so fans of these kinds of unusual turns need not be sad about the Dutch Grand Prix being dropped from the calendar.

Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine

That said, the tracks at Zandvoort and Madrid have one thing in common: overtaking is practically impossible here unless an opponent makes a mistake. Norris kept pressuring Verstappen until the very end, Russell pressured Leclerc, and Max tried to attack Antonelli, but all these attempts were unsuccessful. In fact, there wasn’t a single overtake among the top 10 on the track.

Since it’s a street circuit, the track layout can still be modified, so Formula 1 and the organizers will likely consider where to create overtaking opportunities for future seasons.

Overall Standings

Antonelli secured his eighth win of the season (no one else has more than two) and is confidently heading toward the championship title. In the overall standings, the Italian leads his teammate George Russell by 81 points, so the championship is all but a formality. It’s just a matter of time before Antonelli becomes mathematically out of reach for his competitors.

Interestingly, Andrea Kimi already has one more win this season than Russell has in his entire career.

In Madrid, we’ll highlight another top-10 finish by Arvid Lindblad, Franco Colapinto’s 7th-place finish, and Nico Hülkenberg’s breakthrough into the points.