The one-stop strategy rewards Antonelli in the first race at the Madring

Kimi Antonelli won the first Formula 1 race at the Madring. The Mercedes driver managed to finish ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, claiming victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. With this success, Antonelli also extended his lead in the World Championship standings. His closest title rival and team-mate, George Russell, finished the race in fifth place.

The podium finishers all opted for a one-stop strategy. All three drivers made their pit stop during a Virtual Safety Car period between laps 14 and 15 to fit fresh tyres. Antonelli and Norris switched from Medium to Hard, while Verstappen replaced the Soft tyres he had started on with Hard.

The one-stop strategy was the most popular choice across the grid. Only George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman, Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas made two pit stops. Temperatures were similar to those seen on previous days. Track temperature peaked at 52°C, while air temperature reached 32°C.

In the championship battle, Antonelli now leads the standings with 292 points, followed by Russell in second place on 211. The next round of the calendar is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, scheduled for Saturday 26 September.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“The teams approached today's race differently from what had been simulated on track on Friday. Thanks also to the opportunity provided by the Virtual Safety Car, they favoured a more measured management of pace and degradation, which allowed them to significantly extend stint lengths and made the one-stop strategy the preferred choice for the majority of the field.

“The star of the Grand Prix was the Hard tyre, a compound that had been little explored during free practice and which today demonstrated a very high level of consistency, proving to be the most robust of the three compounds from both a thermal and mechanical perspective. With the C2, we saw several stints exceeding 45 laps, reaching very high levels of wear without any significant performance drop-off. Both the Medium and the Soft also proved to be effective options despite the track temperatures. The C4, in particular, completed competitive stints comparable to those of the Medium in terms of durability.

“As expected, graining appeared mainly on the front-left tyre, on the inner area of the tread, but with limited intensity. The work carried out by the teams on car set-up and tyre management helped to minimise its effects. In a race characterised by few overtaking opportunities, the drivers were able to focus on tyre management, contributing to a very straightforward contest from a strategic perspective.

“Congratulations to Ugo Ugochukwu for securing the Formula 3 championship title today at the end of a highly competitive season. The series continues to represent an important proving ground for young talents from all over the world. The fact that the title was decided only at the final round highlights the exceptionally high level of competitiveness within the championship, which this year delivered spectacular racing and outstanding sporting value.”

FORMULA 2

Dino Beganovic claimed victory in Sunday’s Formula 2 Feature Race. Alex Dunne crossed the line in second place, while Ritomo Miyata completed the podium in third. All three drivers adopted the same strategy, starting on the Soft compound before switching to Hard tyres. The three podium finishers made their mandatory pit stop on lap 18 and completed the remainder of the race on the Hard compound.

FORMULA 3

Ugo Ugochukwu was crowned Formula 3 World Champion. The driver finished second in the final Feature Race of the season in Madrid, a result that proved sufficient to secure the title. Freddie Slater crossed the line in eighth place, allowing Ugochukwu to move ahead of him in the final championship standings. The season finale was won by Tuukka Taponen, while Pedro Clerot finished third.