NEWS
Robbed of victory? Norris on the VSC phase
A VSC at the most inopportune moment decides the Spanish GP in favour of Kimi Antonelli. However, the race director is not to blame for the affected driver.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli takes another big step towards the world championship title.
At the premiere at "Madring" in Madrid, the Mercedes driver goes from second place to victory - it's his eighth triumph this season. The 20-year-old Italian thus extends his lead over teammate George Russell in the world championship to 81 points.
Eighth win of the season! Antonelli wins premiere GP in Madrid >>>
Verstappen lets Hamilton overtake back - Antonelli inherits second place
However, things don't look too good after the start: Already in lap one, Antonelli has to cut the corner twice and let Max Verstappen pass.
However, the Dutchman is instructed by his team to give his position back to Lewis Hamilton for cutting the corner in the duel at turn one and falls back to fourth place himself.
However, the Brit struggles with brake issues, falls back to the end of the field and ultimately retires. Antonelli thus inherits second place again.
Norris does not blame race director
The race decision comes in lap 14: Lance Stroll retires with brake problems, the VSC comes out at the most inconvenient moment for leader Lando Norris. The McLaren driver has already passed the pit entry at that point.
"I couldn't have done anything. I was already past the pit entry. Luck wasn't on our side, we deserved it today," says the pole-sitter in an interview after the race.
However, the race director is not to blame, Norris emphasizes. "Sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you're unlucky," he tells ORF.
Visibly dejected, the McLaren driver adds: "It hurts. I think that was one of my best weekends ever." His performance was "perfect".
Antonelli: "Lando deserved the win"
Since Leclerc did not come in for a stop and stayed out on his hard tyres for a long time, the field bunched up again at the end of the race. After the Monegasque comes into the pits in the final phase, Antonelli pulls away.
Norris is less than a second behind Verstappen. However, the reigning world champion did not see a real duel. Due to the limited overtaking opportunities, the Brit says: "It wasn't a fight."
Antonelli nevertheless praises his rival after the race: "That's not how I want to win. Lando deserved the victory."
