Max Verstappen finishes second in first Spanish Grand Prix since 1981

Max Verstappen finished in second place at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday. Kimi Antonelli won the first F1 race to be held at the circuit in Madrid since 1981, with Lando Norris finishing in third. The race marked the historical debut of the all-new Madring Circuit, a hybrid street track in Madrid. It replaced the traditional Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on the F1 calendar.

Verstappen started the race in third place, with Norris starting on pole and Antonelli beginning in second place. But the four-time champion quickly climbed to second place after the start of the race, passing Antonelli, who had gone off track twice within the first lap.

The race start also led to some controversy and anger from Verstappen. The Red Bull driver first commented that Lewis Hamilton had forced him off track in his Ferrari. “If I didn’t move, he just shunted into me. I would’ve been ahead.”

His team’s response was not what he was hoping. Gianpiero Lambiase told Verstappen to give Hamilton the position back, which would also mean Antonelli going past Verstappen too.

“Mate, what the fuck are you guys talking about? He would’ve shunted it. Like what are you guys talking about? If I just stay on the track, I am out of the race,” Verstappen responded.

Verstappen did not have to wait long to regain ground. He quickly passed Hamilton, who was struggling with the brakes on his car, forcing him to retire from the race shortly after. “He can give me the position now, fucking bullshit. Fucking Mickey Mouse racing this is,” Verstappen said after he went past Hamilton.

Verstappen climbed to third due to a significant strategy error, which ruined Norris’s chances of a win. The McLaren team called Norris in for an ill-timed pit stop when the Brit was out in front and in control; this led to him dropping down to fifth.

Norris and Verstappen battled it out for most of the closing stages of the race. First for third place, and then, when race leader Charles Leclerc went in for his mandatory pit stop and handed the race lead to Antonelli, second place.

Verstappen seemed to be in control of the battle between the two for most of it, with Norris not getting close to really troubling the Dutch driver until the final lap, when a group of four mid-ranking cars blocked Verstappen and gave Norris a chance to catch up.

Norris made a late claim regarding Verstappen leaving the track to gain an advantage, but the FIA saw no reason to punish Verstappen, meaning that he kept hold of his second place.

With this victory, his 8th of the 2026 season, Antonelli blew the Drivers' Championship wide open, extending a massive 81-point lead over his Mercedes teammate George Russell.