World championship leader Antonelli wins Spanish GP

Madrid: 20-year-old Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured his eighth victory of the Formula One season, extending his lead in the world championship at the Spanish Grand Prix held at the Madring circuit on Sunday. Antonelli finished ahead of Max Verstappen from Red Bull and Lando Norris of McLaren, widening the gap to his closest rival George Russell, his Mercedes teammate, to 81 points in the title race.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc secured fourth place, followed by Norris and Liam Lawson in the second Red Bull. Franco Colapinto of Alpine, Oscar Piastri of McLaren, Arvid Lindblad of Red Bull, and Niko Hulkenberg of Audi rounded out the top 10. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who scored points in every race this season, retired his Ferrari on lap seven due to brake failure.

In a setback for Mercedes, Russell faced the repercussions of the team's two-stop strategy, which cost him a podium finish and increased the gap to Antonelli. Norris also lamented his team's poor strategy, as he lost time during the virtual safety car intervention. When Norris was about to pit, the VSC finished, and he was unable to make up the time, allowing Antonelli to take the lead.