Mercedes driver and current championship leader Kimi Antonelli will feel a "sting" after his Spanish Grand Prix victory because he knows McLaren's Lando Norris had the faster car, according to former IndyCar Series driver and F1 TV analyst James Hinchcliffe.
Antonelli secured his eighth win of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the inaugural race at the Madring circuit, extending his lead in the standings to 81 points over his team-mate George Russell. But the Italian's win relied on a perfectly timed virtual safety car.
Norris, who had started from pole position, built a strong advantage over the chasing pack during the opening stint of the race. When the virtual safety car was deployed just after the McLaren driver passed the pitlane entry, Antonelli capitalised by taking a cheaper pitstop. Norris subsequently pitted as the virtual safety car ended, suffering a four-second stop.
Despite Antonelli executing a strong race to secure the win, Hinchcliffe argued that the pace of the Woking squad will frustrate the 20-year-old.
"I don't want to say it's better to be lucky than good, but sometimes it's good to be both because we know he's good. He's definitely good. But he had some luck and you even heard it in the post-race interview, he was like, 'Yeah, we'll take it,'" Hinchcliffe said of Antonelli's win during F1 TV's post-race broadcast.
"You guys know what it's like as a driver. Even when you win, when you know there was somebody faster than you, it still stings a little. You want to be the best driver on the day. And I don't think we can say that he was.
"He was very complete, did what he had to do, got the job done. That's the goal. But it's interesting to see even such a young driver with already so much success this season, it burns when he knows he's not the best on the day."
