Madrid [Spain], September 14: Championship leader Kimi Antonelli claimed a fortunate win at the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, while Lando Norris was left frustrated by a pit stop.
"It is good to win, but it doesn't feel as good as I think Lando deserved to win. But we'll take it, and we'll keep pushing," the Italian said after his victory on the new circuit in Madrid.
Antonelli tops the drivers' championship and increased his advantage over team-mate George Russell to 81 points.
Messy race start
In a messy start, Antonelli overtook pole-sitter Lando Norris twice, but went off track and had to return the position both times as the McLaren driver retained his lead.
Antonelli, meanwhile, lost second place to Max Verstappen of Red Bull when returning the lead to Norris the second time.
Verstappen, however, was deemed to have gained an advantage for short-cutting the chicane at the start to avoid contact with the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton.
The Dutchman was forced to give the position back to Hamilton but in doing so he was also overtaken by Antonelli, and dropped to fourth.
Once all of that was settled, Norris still led ahead of Antonelli and Hamilton, with the latter retiring on lap 7 due to brake issues.
But the defending F1 champion saw his race take a turn for the worse on lap 15.
Virtual safety car changes everything
A virtual safety car (VSC) was called after Lance Stroll parked up his Aston Martin with a problem.
Norris had already passed the pit entry, but Antonelli and Verstappen were able to pit under the VSC, while Charles Leclerc of Ferrari stayed out and took on the lead.
Norris could only stop for new tyres at the end of the lap, when the VSC was already over. To make matters worse, it was a slow stop and he returned to the track in fifth.
Up front, Leclerc was on a one-stop strategy. Knowing that, both Antonelli and Verstappen just had to manage their tyres and avoid any potential accident.
Leclerc eventually pitted on lap 49, handing the lead and the win to Antonelli. Verstappen was second, while Norris recovered to at least finish on the podium in third.
"It was a very difficult race, not straightforward at all, especially trying to manage tyres," Antonelli said.
Verstappen and Norris had a tight battle in the final laps, but the Dutchman prevailed to survive the British driver's attacks.
"We know Lando got unlucky with the VSC. Second is a great result as you saw how much Lando was catching me. Just keep the car in the middle, that works quite well around here," Verstappen said.
The rest of the grid Leclerc finished fourth, followed by Russell and the Red Bull of Liam Lawson.
Franco Colapinto of Alpine was seventh, with Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren, Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls and Audi's Nico Hülkenberg completing the top 10.
I deserved more - Norris calls for F1 rule change
Lando Norris has challenged Formula One to change its rules after he was cruelly denied victory at Spanish Grand Prix.
"We didn't do anything that made us lose the race," a deflated Norris said. "We were just insanely unlucky today.
"I was the only one on the whole grid who didn't get a chance to do a pit-stop.
"That is just unfortunate. It has happened in races before, and I have gained from it in the past, but I have lost a win today and that is frustrating. I felt like I deserved more."
Pressed as to whether the rulebook should be tinkered, Norris continued: "It has been brought up many times over the years by different drivers.
"There are things that can be changed to make it more simple, and more fair. We could be covered for at least one lap (after the VSC is deployed) and that allows us all the opportunity to do a pit-stop, or the pit-entry could be blocked.
"This needs to be part of a wider discussion, and as a group of drivers, I think it is something we would all want. I have to take it on the chin today, but I hope it doesn't happen to anyone again, because it is not the way a race should be lost."
Source: Qatar Tribune