What the teams said – Race day in Spain

Kimi Antonelli secured his eighth victory of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, benefiting significantly from a perfectly timed Virtual Safety Car (VSC) stop. While Lando Norris led early and showed superior pace, the VSC timing and a slow pit stop cost the McLaren driver the lead, leaving him to finish third behind Max Verstappen. Verstappen, who also pitted under the VSC, displayed strong race pace to defend his second position against a charging Norris in the closing stages. George Russell finished fifth after a strategy gamble involving two pit stops failed to yield more, as the difficulty of overtaking in Madrid neutralized his efforts. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto rounded out the top positions after varying strategies, while Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez, and Lance Stroll were forced to retire due to technical issues, including a braking failure and suspected water system faults.