By: The inaugural race at the Madring circuit delivered a second consecutive victory for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, allowing him to pull clear in the world championship standings. It must be said that, unlike his superb performance at the Italian Grand Prix, yesterday’s win came more through the misfortune of others than the work of his right foot: the young driver from Bologna was approaching the pit-lane entry when the Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Lando Norris, who had led until then, had to wait until the following lap, but as soon as he engaged the limiter, race control resumed the race. The Briton had it all to rebuild, while the Mercedes driver was handed the lead.
A champion, as they say, also needs a little luck, and Antonelli has been kissed by fortune on several occasions this season. For many users on social media, however, the timing of the Virtual Safety Car was a coincidence that was just too convenient, and Nico Rosberg’s commentary from the booth did not help matters. “Toto always gets what he wants,” said the German. So, is it possible to think the stewards deliberately helped the Italian?
Team radio and timing
At 3:26, Stroll’s car comes to a halt. Lando Norris drives past it, but the signals show only yellow flags. The Briton asks his engineer about the extent of the damage, but the pit wall gives him a confused response, saying they have not yet seen the footage. At 3:27, the Virtual Safety Car is deployed just as the McLaren standard-bearer passes the pit lane, allowing Antonelli, Verstappen and Russell to pit. While the track is being cleared, the Woking team decides what to do and then informs the world champion: they would have stopped even without the VSC. It was not a brilliant call, made worse by the restart at 3:29, while the driver was in the pits. By contrast, Bono had pre-warned Kimi about a possible stop, asking him to increase the gap slightly.
In conclusion, there is not enough evidence to suggest any “blatant” favouritism, although these sorts of games are nothing new for the FIA – just remember how 2021 ended. What can be criticised, however, is the imperfect timing: for several Grands Prix now, race control has taken a moment too long to understand what needs to be deployed, or has mishandled recovery vehicles, meaning teams have no benchmarks on which to base their strategies. Norris, meanwhile, had everything go wrong for him, from the lengthy stop to the wrong decision to pit. Secondly, it should be remembered that no champion has won through “pure talent” alone: they also need the fastest car, the most efficient team and luck at the right moment.
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Spain GP 2026
