Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured his eighth win of the season at the Spanish GP, but admitted it wasn't the way he wanted to win. The Mercedes driver capitalized on a Virtual Safety Car period to jump ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, then managed his hard tyres to take the chequered flag.
The race at the new Madrid circuit was full of drama. Lance Stroll suffered a brake issue and retired on lap 14, triggering the VSC. At that moment, Norris was on the start-finish straight, while Antonelli and Verstappen dived into the pits for hard tyres. Norris also pitted, but a slow stop dropped him to third. Lando Norris, who started from pole, had to settle for a disappointing result.
“I don't think I deserved to win today. Norris deserved it, and I feel sorry for him,” Antonelli told Sky Sport F1. “But from our side, the communication with Bono (Peter Bonnington) was very good. He warned me about the VSC, and I slowed down a bit in the last sector to make sure I could pit at the right time. The timing was perfect.”
Antonelli also acknowledged that luck played a huge role. “Sometimes luck goes your way, sometimes it doesn't. I have to maximize every opportunity,” he added. He also admitted struggling to pass Leclerc in the closing laps. “I didn't know whether to push or save the tyres. I was very patient, and when Leclerc pitted, I had clear air and could run my own pace.”
The win extends Antonelli's championship lead over George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who both retired with brake issues. Despite this, Antonelli refuses to think about the title. “I don't think about it. There are still 8 or 9 races to go, so I need to keep performing at my best because anything can happen,” he concluded.
With Mercedes' dominant performance and momentum, the Spanish GP proved that Antonelli is not just fast but also smart in reading races. However, he himself knows that this win was partly due to external factors. “I would have preferred to win in a different way, but I'll take it,” he said.
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