Norris calls for F1 review after VSC timing reshapes Spanish Grand Prix

Lando Norris finished third in the Spanish Grand Prix after the timing of a virtual safety car gave his rivals a cheaper pit stop while he was unable to respond. Kimi Antonelli won at Madrid’s new Madring street circuit, with Max Verstappen second.

Norris started from pole and led Antonelli by more than six seconds after 13 laps. The VSC was deployed on lap 15 after Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin stopped in the run-off area at Turn 20, shortly after Norris had passed the pit-lane entry.

Antonelli and Verstappen were able to pit during the caution, which lasted less than one lap. Norris stopped after it ended, losing about 11 seconds through the timing and a further five seconds when McLaren encountered problems changing both right-side tyres. He emerged more than 15 seconds behind Antonelli and more than nine seconds behind Verstappen.

Norris caught Verstappen before the finish but could not pass on the new street circuit. He described himself as “insanely unlucky” and said the VSC was a rule that should not define an entire race, while acknowledging that he had benefited from caution periods in the past.

McLaren considered keeping Norris on his used medium tyres, but team principal Andrea Stella said rivals on new hard tyres would have been too difficult to beat. Anticipating the VSC with an earlier stop also carried a significant risk: the long pit lane meant a stop under green-flag conditions could have cost about 27 seconds.

Antonelli said Norris deserved to win and that Mercedes probably deserved second or third. Drivers and teams are expected to discuss the incident, potentially through Formula 1’s Strategy Advisory Committee. Any change, including a possible minimum VSC duration, would require further institutional approval.