MADRID — Lando Norris lost what should have been a certain victory at the Spanish Grand Prix after the timing of a virtual safety car handed the win to Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen second and Norris third at the new Madring street circuit. After taking pole with a lap McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described as "a masterpiece," Norris led Antonelli by more than six seconds after 13 laps before the VSC on lap 14 erased his advantage.
Norris had just passed the pit entry at the end of lap 14 when the VSC was called after Lance Stroll's Aston Martin stopped in the run-off area at Turn 20. Antonelli and Verstappen were far enough behind to pit under the VSC, while the caution ended shortly before Norris completed the next lap. "It is a rule that should not define a whole race," Norris said. "I was the only one on the whole grid that didn't get the chance to do the pit stop. That's just unfortunate." He added: "There's been plenty of times where I've gained from it in the past and times where I've lost from it, and it's racing, but never when fighting for a win. So, it's probably one of the first times a win has been lost simply because of it."
A stop under the VSC costs 11 seconds less race time than under green-flag conditions, and Norris lost further time with problems on both right-hand side tyres at his stop a lap later. He emerged more than 15 seconds behind Antonelli and more than nine seconds adrift of Verstappen, and although he caught the Red Bull before the finish, overtaking was virtually impossible on the Madring. The VSC was in operation for less than a single lap — ending when Norris was in Turn 21, the corner before the pit entry, on lap 15 — while Antonelli was behind him in Turn 19. Antonelli, who extended his championship lead to 81 points, said: "If I have to be realistic and honest, today we didn't deserve to win. Lando deserved to win, and so I think our result was probably P2 or even P3." Norris was also critical of the layout, saying: "I don't know how someone looks at this design and goes, 'Mint,'" but added there was "a lot of opportunity" to improve it for next year.
McLaren debated whether to keep Norris out after the VSC, but Stella said: "We considered staying out, but you have to accept the fact that now you are on relatively used medium tyres. And the people behind you will be on new hard. So you're never going to open a gap on people on new hard." Norris said: "I had to come in at the end of the lap because it was the only chance." On whether to have pitted before the VSC was deployed, Stella said: "In hindsight, that would have been a good idea," but noted the risk with the longest pit lane on the calendar costing 27 seconds without a VSC. Norris is now five points clear of third-placed Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' championship.