F1 leader Antonelli wins Spanish Grand Prix as unlucky Norris misses out

F1 leader Antonelli wins Spanish Grand Prix as unlucky Norris misses outThe 20-year-old Italian has extended his championship lead to 81 points after 14 rounds.Kimi Antonelli has moved a mighty step closer to the Formula One title after winning the first Spanish Grand Prix held at Madrid’s new circuit with a slice of luck on the side.The 20-year-old Italian’s Madrid victory on Sunday – his eighth win of the season – stretched his championship lead to 81 points after 14 rounds.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Formula One champion Lando Norris extends McLaren contract until 2030list 2 of 4F1 leader Kimi Antonelli wins Italian GP after epic charge from the backlist 3 of 4Mercedes no longer have the fastest car in F1, says leader Antonellilist 4 of 4‘Simply lovely’: Verstappen extends with F1 Red Bull Racing until 2030end of listAntonelli benefited from a well-timed virtual safety car (VSC) and a calamitous McLaren pit stop on lap 16 of 57 that robbed pole-sitter and early leader Lando Norris of a likely win on a track where overtaking proved almost impossible.“I think today it’s good to win, but it doesn’t feel as good because I think Lando today deserved the win, but overall, we take it,” said Antonelli.Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was second, with Norris third. Antonelli now has 292 points compared to his closest rival and teammate George Russell, who finished fifth, on 211.“There was nothing I could do… just luck not on our side,” said Norris. “I felt like we deserved it today, but that’s racing sometimes.“I feel like I drove a perfect race today, just luck wasn’t with me.”Opening battle for positionAntonelli twice had to give the lead back to Norris on the opening lap after going off and gaining an advantage in a battle through the opening corners. But the Briton then settled into a rhythm and began to pull away.Verstappen also gained a place that he had to hand back to Antonelli and lost and gained position to Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who then suffered a brake problem that eventually forced the seven-time world champion to retire.