Kimi Antonelli extended his lead in the Formula One world championship with a victory at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, increasing his advantage over nearest rivals to 81 points. The 20-year-old Italian secured his eighth win of the season at the Madring circuit, moving closer to becoming the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953 and potentially the youngest ever to claim the title.

Antonelli’s triumph came amid a challenging race that saw McLaren’s Lando Norris, who had led for the first 15 laps and started from pole position, experience setbacks that hindered his chances of winning. Norris finished third, just under a second behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who placed second. Antonelli’s teammate George Russell, currently second in the championship standings, finished fifth.

Despite his growing points margin, Antonelli emphasized his intention to maintain maximum effort through the remainder of the season. “That’s exactly what I don’t want to do,” he said when asked if he might ease off. “I want to keep pushing, race by race. Keep delivering and keep enjoying all the way and then trying to do my best every race and then we will see where we end up at the end of the year.”

Antonelli acknowledged the difficulty of the race, particularly in managing tyre wear during changing conditions. He also praised Norris’s performance, stating that the McLaren driver had deserved a win at the new circuit. “It was a very difficult race, not straightforward at all, especially trying to manage the tyres,” he added. “I think today it’s good to win, but it doesn’t feel as good because I think Lando deserved a win, but overall we will take it.”

The victory solidifies Antonelli’s strong form this season as he closed out the race with a comfortable margin of 4.351 seconds ahead of Verstappen. The Italian driver expressed gratitude to the fans and enthusiasm about returning to the circuit next year.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff also commented on the race, referring to the “racing gods” being on their side. Wolff had recently predicted an unlikely win for Antonelli at his home Italian Grand Prix at Monza from a difficult starting position, underscoring the driver’s current run of good fortune and performance.

With the season progressing, Antonelli’s dominant position places him as the clear favorite for the championship, though with several races remaining, his rivals aim to challenge his growing lead.