Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the Spanish Grand Prix after Mc Laren's Lando Norris lost the lead because of the timing of a virtual safety car.

Norris was leading comfortably from pole position when the VSC was called on lap 15. He had already passed the pit entry, allowing Antonelli and Red Bull's Max Verstappen to pit under the VSC and save time. The caution ended before Norris could reach the pits again. His stop was then slow, with Mc Laren's mechanics having trouble with both right-hand side wheels, and he rejoined in fifth place.

Norris recovered only to third around the new Madring track in Madrid, where overtaking is next to impossible. Antonelli's eighth win in 14 races this year puts an even tighter stranglehold on the championship for the Italian. He is now 81 points ahead of team-mate George Russell, who finished fifth after a difficult race on a confusing strategy, and 101 clear of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who retired early on with brake failure.

“It's good to win but it doesn't feel as good because Lando deserved to win,” Antonelli said. Norris said: “We'll take it on the chin. There could be more wins this year.”