Kimi Antonelli claimed another victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, extending his march towards Formula One glory. Lando Norris, who started from pole position, saw his race unravel after a slow pit stop, while Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire early due to a brakes failure.
Hamilton Retires Early
Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, suffered a brakes failure in the early stages of the first F1 race at the Madring. The problem forced the seven-time world champion to pull into the pit lane and retire. Lance Stroll experienced the same issue on his Aston Martin but came to a stop in a run-off area out on track.
The incident triggered a virtual safety car, which came just after Norris, the leader at the time, had passed the pit entry. Antonelli dived in for a cheap pit stop, while the race returned to full pace just before Norris completed the lap and returned to the pit lane.
Norris's Slow Stop
Norris decided to pit regardless, hoping to cover off the Mercedes driver. However, a slow stop cost him precious seconds as the front-right wheel did not want to come off his car. By the time he emerged back on track, he was fourth, also behind Max Verstappen and George Russell.
Norris managed to clear Russell and inherited third place late on when Charles Leclerc, on an alternative strategy, finally pitted for the first time and came back out in fourth. But any hope of catching Antonelli faded when Norris found himself stuck behind Verstappen's Red Bull.
Antonelli's Eighth Victory
Norris clearly had greater pace, but overtaking was difficult on the new circuit, as predicted. That cost the Brit plenty of time, leaving Antonelli with a comfortable drive to the chequered flag. The victory was his eighth of the season, moving him one step closer to becoming F1's youngest ever world champion.
