Kimi Antonelli secured his eighth win of the season in Madrid, but acknowledges that Lando Norris deserved to win more.
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Kimi Antonelli does not try to hide the element of luck that accompanied his victory at the Spanish Grand Prix. Winner for the eighth time this season, the Mercedes driver benefited from a particularly favorable virtual safety car to take the lead over Lando Norris, who had been dominating the race until then.
The Italian ultimately won with a 4.3-second lead over Max Verstappen, while Norris had to settle for third place. A result that allows Antonelli to significantly extend his championship lead, but does not prevent him from acknowledging that his rival from McLaren was probably the driver who most deserved the win this Sunday.
“Lando deserved the win”
Starting second behind Norris, Antonelli was not really able to threaten the Briton during the first stint. The reigning world champion had quickly built a several-second lead and seemed to be perfectly controlling the situation before Lance Stroll stopped on track.
The virtual safety car deployed on lap 14 then completely turned the race upside down. Antonelli was able to immediately pit and change his tires at a lower cost, as did Verstappen. Norris, however, had just missed the pit entry and had to wait for the next lap, when the race had already resumed normally.
This difference was enough to swing the Grand Prix. Antonelli does not even try to claim that his victory is solely the result of his performance.
“It was a very difficult race, which was really not easy, especially with all the tire management. Obviously, it’s good to win today, but this victory doesn’t have quite the same flavor because I think Lando deserved to win.”
Antonelli perfectly seizes the opportunity
Norris also lost time during his stop, coming out only fifth and more than 17 seconds behind the leader. Charles Leclerc was then temporarily in first place thanks to his alternate strategy, but Antonelli was virtually the best placed among the drivers who had already pitted.
The Mercedes driver then perfectly managed his race. He notably had to watch his brakes behind Leclerc and reported an unusual feeling in his steering, without it leading to a real mechanical problem. When the Monegasque finally pitted nine laps from the finish, Antonelli took the lead ahead of Verstappen and Norris.
Despite the pressure from his two pursuers, he did not make any mistakes and quickly extended his lead beyond a second. The championship leader could then control the final laps until the checkered flag.
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“But overall, we still take this victory. Apart from that, we had a very solid race. I think we especially had a very good pace with the hard tires at the end.”
81 points ahead of Russell
This eighth win of the season mainly allows Antonelli to make an excellent move in the championship. George Russell having finished only fifth, the gap between the two Mercedes drivers now stands at 81 points.
The situation becomes particularly comfortable for Antonelli. Only 83 points will be available in total during the next three events in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and Singapore, the latter weekend also including a Sprint race. Barring a huge turnaround, the Italian should therefore still lead the championship when Formula 1 arrives in Austin.
His Madrid victory also marks another step towards a historic record. If he manages to convert his huge advantage into a world title, Antonelli would become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.
Antonelli still refuses to think about the title
Despite this growing lead, the Mercedes driver continues to refuse to look too far ahead. In his eyes, the goal remains the same: to approach each Grand Prix separately and continue to exploit the performance of his car.
“We will keep pushing. I want to take it race by race, keep getting results and above all enjoy every moment.”
Antonelli therefore prefers to postpone calculations regarding the championship despite an increasingly favorable situation.
“I just try to do my best at every race and we will see where we end up at the end of the year.”
The Madrid win will nevertheless remain special. It marks the 251st victory of a Mercedes engine in Formula 1, thus equaling a record, and mainly allows Antonelli to take a considerable lead in the title race. All after a race he himself acknowledges was not really meant to go to him.
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