Lando Norris called himself "insanely unlucky" after losing a likely Spanish Grand Prix win due to Virtual Safety Car timing at the Madring circuit. Leading Kimi Antonelli by over six seconds after 13 laps, Norris had just passed the pit entry on lap 14 when a VSC was deployed for Lance Stroll's stopped Aston Martin at Turn 20. Antonelli and Max Verstappen, further back, pitted under VSC — saving roughly 11 seconds versus green-flag stops — while the period ended before Norris could complete his next lap and pit.

Norris emerged over 15 seconds behind Antonelli and nine behind Verstappen after a slow stop compounded by right-side tyre issues. Despite superior race pace, overtaking was nearly impossible on the new Madrid street layout, leaving Norris third. Race winner Antonelli admitted: "Lando deserved to win... we didn't deserve to win." Norris criticized the track design but noted "plenty of positives" including strong hard-tyre pace.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella had earlier praised Norris's pole lap as "a masterpiece." Antonelli extended his championship lead to 81 points.