The Japan Times - Antonelli profits from safety car pause to win Spanish GP

The 20-year-old Italian extended his lead to 81 points after coming home 4.351 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s four-time champion Max Verstappen with unlucky pole-sitter Lando Norris of McLaren third, just 0.738 seconds adrift.

Antonelli, who had won thrillingly from 19th on the grid in his home Italian race a week earlier, this time took full advantage of an early setback for McLaren’s world champion Norris when he was caught out by an early Virtual Safety Car (VSC) intervention after leading for 15 laps.

"It was a very difficult race and not straightforward at all," admitted Antonelli who is set to become Italy's first world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

"We had to manage the tyres, but it is good to win, although it feels not so good because Lando deserved to win.”

Norris had led from pole, but lost his advantage when Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll crashed to bring a VSC pause that was ill-timed for him as he passed the pits as it happened, gifting his rivals a 'cheap' pit stop.

“There was nothing I could do about it. So, congratulations to them. I did my best and tried, but it was so difficult to pass Max and he made no mistakes.

"That’s racing sometimes so we’ll take it on the chin and try better next time."

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who led for most of a relatively uneventful first race at the new Madring circuit, finished fourth ahead of George Russell in the second Mercedes, Liam Lawson in the second Red Bull and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.

Oscar Piastri was eighth in the second McLaren ahead of Racing Bulls’ rookie Arvid Lindblad and Nico Hulkenberg of Audi.

- 'Unlucky' Norris -

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton retired with brake problems on lap seven, the first time this year he has failed to complete a race with Ferrari.

“It’s an incredible result for us, but Lando was very unlucky with the VSC,” said Verstappen.

Norris made an excellent start from his 19th pole position to escape a wild scrap on the opening laps as Antonelli, twice, and Verstappen, ran off-track in skirmishes that saw Hamilton suffer brake problems leading to his early retirement.

Antonelli handed a place back twice for his misdemeanours, but the Dutchman waited for radio instructions to give back second, having battled past both the Italian and Hamilton, who came in after seven laps.

It was his first non-finish after completing every previous lap this season.

The big crowd, part of a weekend sellout of 353,000, were then treated to a Spanish spat as two-time champion Fernando Alonso grumbled aloud after his Aston Martin’s front wing was clipped by compatriot Carlos Sainz of Williams on lap 13.

Sainz was given a five-seconds penalty before, on lap 15, Lance Stroll smacked the barriers at Turn 20 to prompt a Virtual Safety Car (VSC), just as the luckless Norris passed the pit lane entry. Antonelli swept in to switch from mediums to hards.

Norris missed the VSC opportunity and his stop, a lap later, was also slowed by a sticky front left wheel. He re-joined fifth behind Russell as Leclerc, who did not pit, took over as leader ahead of Antonelli and Verstappen.

As expected, with a track temperature of 54 degrees, the race was a high-speed contest in tyre-management and strategy – Leclerc was still on his original hards, after 30 laps, when Russell, who stopped again after 28 laps, had already pitted twice.

The Monegasque led Antonelli by 3.3sec at that stage. After the thrills of Monza’s effervescent racing, there were few passing moves or dramas before Leclerc finally pitted on lap 48, dropping to fourth.

Antonelli took over as leader 1.8sec ahead of Verstappen with Norris third, 0.8 adrift and Leclerc 23sec further back – and nine laps of high concentration high-speed racing remaining.

T.Ikeda--JT