Kimi Antonelli has boosted his title ambitions with victory in the Spanish Grand Prix.
According to France 24, the 20-year-old Italian extended his lead to 81 points after coming home 4.351 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s four-time champion Max Verstappen with unlucky pole-sitter Lando Norris of McLaren third, just 0.738 seconds adrift.
Antonelli, who had won thrillingly from 19th on the grid in his home Italian race a week earlier, this time took full advantage of an early setback for McLaren’s world champion Norris when he was caught out by an early Virtual Safety Car (VSC) intervention after leading for 15 laps.
"It was a very difficult race and not straightforward at all," admitted Antonelli who is set to become Italy's first world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
"We had to manage the tyres, but it is good to win, although it feels not so good because Lando deserved to win.”
Norris had led from pole, but lost his advantage when Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll crashed to bring a VSC pause that was ill-timed for him as he passed the pits as it happened, gifting his rivals a 'cheap' pit stop.
“There was nothing I could do about it. So, congratulations to them. I did my best and tried, but it was so difficult to pass Max and he made no mistakes. That’s racing sometimes so we’ll take it on the chin and try better next time."
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who led for most of a relatively uneventful first race at the new Madring circuit, finished fourth ahead of George Russell in the second Mercedes, Liam Lawson in the second Red Bull and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.
Oscar Piastri was eighth in the second McLaren ahead of Racing Bulls’ rookie Arvid Lindblad and Nico Hulkenberg of Audi.
