Kimi Antonelli Wins Madrid’s Inaugural F1 Grand Prix at the Madring

This weekend we welcome a brand new circuit that already has a nickname of ‘Madring ’. based in Madrid. Spain. It’s the first time in 45 years that we’ve seen F1 cars racing in the capital. Williams are showcasing a new white livery inspired by the last time Williams ever raced in the Spanish capital. A very exciting beginning to this weekend.

Let’s see what this track is like.

Gathering data

In FP1. We see for the first time our Formula 1 cars driving on track. We see Antonelli locking up on turn 13. Where there’s a small run-off area. But he managed to hold on. Leclerc had a difficult moment at turn 17. Another small run-off area. Several cars cut the chicane as Perez locked up and Alonso clipped the wall; it was definitely a rocky start, as both Mercedes were on top. With Leclerc in 3rd for this first session. 

Lindblad had a huge crash in FP2 at turn 13 and flew into the barrier. Bringing out a red flag. Turn 5 at the chicane was bringing a lot of problems for drivers, as they were misjudging the braking and cutting through the chicane. Which is okay to do during practice. But this will definitely add time in qualifying and could be a problem. Antonelli soared in this session. Taking the top spot, followed by both Ferraris. 

The final practice session already has drama as Albon scrapes the wall and is placed back into the garage, as his teammate nearly crashes straight into the wall but managed to stop it just in time. Hamilton crashes into the barrier as he locks up and can’t turn. Bringing out a red flag and some frustration from Hamilton as he tries to bring the car back to the pit, even when he’s being told to stop. Eventually he does. 

Finishing up FP3 as Bearman crashes into the barrier after clipping the wall to end the session. Again, it’s Antonelli on top with Lecerc behind him, and Piastri takes 3rd after a whopping good lap. 

The time to show up

Unfortunately. Bearman will not be taking part in the qualifying session today due to his late crash in FP3, and Stroll also missed qualifying due to an issue with his car. A rough start for Russell as he whacks the wall going around one of his quick laps in Q1.  Unfortunately. Joining Stroll and Bearman are both Cadillac drivers and both Spaniards Alonso and Sainz. A shame for the home crowd.

Q2 is underway as Colapinto has a scary shunt. Nearly losing the car but managed to hold on. As neither Alpine manages to get a time on the board. They’ll be holding out hope for a final quick lap. Both Audis just miss out. Along with Ocon and Gasly. Albon is taking 16th. And Tsunoda is slotting in to 15th. Lindblad made a good effort. Just making it into 10th. 

A whopping lap from Hamilton in Q3, and it looks like he’s provisionally on pole; he is the car to beat. It has been a tight battle. Particularly between Mercedes and Red Bull, but Ferrari are definitely in the ring. In the final few seconds on track. Norris swipes pole position with a superb fast lap from him, a surprise after a struggle this weekend. 

Antonelli settles for 2nd. And Verstappen beats both Ferraris in 3rd. Russell can only take 6th behind the Ferraris, with Piastri in 7th. Lawson finished in 8th. And a strong finish for Colapinto in 9th. Lindblad took the final 10th spot. 

It’s going to be an exciting race tomorrow with several contenders from a variety of teams. 

Race day ready

Lando Norris is quick off the line. Trying to cover Antonelli as he tries to get ahead. Antonelli lunges but is unable to keep control and goes off the track. He rejoins ahead of Norris but is forced to give the position back. Antonelli tries again at the next turn. But he goes super wide and is forced to give the place back to Norris again. Unfortunately. Verstappen takes advantage and dives ahead of Antonelli into 2nd. 

Hamilton and Verstappen clashed going around the first corner after a great launch. And Piastri went into the back of Russell. Damaging his front-end plate. Sainz and Tsunoda also had a small collision at the start. A very tight space for these cars to fit through. Colapinto has a strong start. Up 2 places. But Piastri has fallen to 10th; there might be a problem with his car. Norris has opened up a 2-second gap to Verstappen; he’s showing strong pace at the moment on the medium tyres. 

Verstappen is forced to give 2 places back following team orders due to the incident with Hamilton at the start; he’s now down to 4th. Sandwiched between both Ferraris. Verstappen soon overtakes him, and Hamilton reports braking problems.

Hamilton is dropping down rapidly. 

Norris is going steady with a 3-second gap now to Antonelli in 2nd as Hamilton pits to retire this race. Whilst Lawson in 7th is hunting down Colapinto just ahead of him – a tight race between these two- Lawson dives down the inside and powers ahead. Piastri is chasing down Lindblad for 8th. Even with his damaged front end, Alonso and Sainz are battling for 17th place in a brutal Spanish battle amongst the two drivers. Alonso and Sainz have a tight moment where Sainz clips Alonso’s front wing that has some damage. 

On lap 14. Stroll has a big lock-up going into the barrier. That has brought out a virtual safety car. But it’s too late for Norris, as he goes past the pits before it’s called. Antonelli. Verstappen and Russell are called into the pits, as are several other cars. Alonso is able to have new noses fitted. 

Norris is called into the pits just as the virtual safety car ends. He has a slow 7-second stop and unfortunately comes out in 5th behind Russell. And Leclerc is now the race leader, who did not pit. With Antonelli hunting him down. Sainz has been awarded a 5-second penalty for the collision between him and Alonso. A shame for the Spaniards’ home races. Leclerc is holding Antonelli at bay as there’s now a 3-second gap between them. Norris is 2.7 seconds away from Russell. Verstappen is holding strong in 3rd at the moment. 

We’re halfway through the race now. Norris is catching up to Russell; he’s now under a second of Russell. But it’s going to be a tough comeback for Norris. Mercedes have called Russell into the pits. Hoping to get him out before Piastri. Norris is free to go after Verstappen now. Russell comes out in 6th behind Lawson. who is yet to pit.

On lap 36. Lawson goes wide. Russell takes advantage. Overtaking him and up into 5th. But he is visibly unhappy with the team’s tyre strategy. Perez retires. Unable to do any more with his car. Norris is 3.3 seconds from Verstappen and is desperate to retake his lead position and get back onto the podium. 

We’re still waiting for Leclerc to pit; Ferrari are hoping for a late safety car, which would give him a chance for a podium. But we’ll see. Antonelli is sticking close to Leclerc. Waiting for him to pit. So he can take over the race. Piastri is called in to pit. But it’s not a great pit, and he comes out in 11th. Out of the points. But there are some cars still waiting to pit. Norris is very close to Verstappen. But with 13 laps to go, it’s getting very tight. Antonelli is within a second of Leclerc now. Leclerc’s old tyres are now fading badly. 

It’s sad news for Sainz as he retires after struggling with his car whilst we watch an intense battle between Piastri. Colapinto and Bortoletto. Lawson pits and comes out ahead of them in 7th place. A swift stop for them. 

On lap 48. Leclerc is called in to pit and comes out in 4th ahead of Russell. Which was their plan; now Leclerc needs to hold the 2.5-second gap from Russell. The top 3, however. are within a second of each other. As Antonelli leads and Verstappen is within a second of him and Norris is within a second of him, it’s going to be a tough battle amongst them.  

A scary moment for Antonelli as he brushes the wall with only 5 laps to go. But his car seems to be okay for now. Norris is now under a second from Verstappen and is gaining on him. But he hasn’t got many more chances. 

The final 2 laps. Antonelli is looking strong in 1st, as Norris and Verstappen are so close together. With a few scary moments between them as they weave in and out of traffic. Norris complains that Verstappen went off the track and gained an advantage that’s noted by the stewards but has no further action. Gasly pits on the penultimate lap. Falling out of the points. 

Kimi Antonelli wins the Madring! A fantastic race from him, and Mercedes had a good strategy and took advantage of the virtual safety car. Verstappen finishes in 2nd. Holding Norris off to 3rd. I suspect he will be disappointed since he started 1st but was unlucky with the safety car. But overall, a good final podium. 

Leclerc held off Russell to secure 4th. Important points for the only Ferrari. Lawson finished in 6th. A great finish for him. Colapinto took 7th. Piastri managed to cling on to 8th, and the final points were scored by Lindblad in 9th.

Hülkenberg took 10th. 

In 2 weeks, we will race again in Azerbaijan.

Let’s see if Kimi Antonelli will take the drivers’ championship.