Liam Lawson makes history in 'lifeless' race at 'deadly machine for falling asleep' - International Media Reacts

Kimi Antonelli strengthened his grip on the F1 drivers' championship by becoming the first winner of the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring.

The Mercedes driver converted second on the grid into his eighth victory of the season, while Max Verstappen finished second and Lando Norris completed the podium after a disastrous Virtual Safety Car pit-stop sequence cost the McLaren driver a likely victory.

Norris had looked in complete control after taking pole by just 0.011 seconds from Antonelli, but the timing of his stop under the VSC turned the race on its head and left him fighting back from a significant deficit.

The Madring itself also became a major talking point, with limited overtaking opportunities and a race that settled into a largely processional rhythm once the strategic dust had settled.

Away from the podium, Liam Lawson produced a landmark result for New Zealand by finishing sixth, while Lewis Hamilton retired with brake problems and Carlos Sainz was among the other notable non-finishers.

With Antonelli extending his championship advantage to 81 points over Mercedes team-mate George Russell, the international media had plenty to discuss after F1's first visit to Madrid.

Here's how the international media reacted to the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring.

🇬🇧 The Telegraph – Madrid's lifeless Grand Prix shows F1 has lost its way

The Telegraph delivers a scathing assessment of the inaugural race at the Madring, arguing that the new Madrid venue failed to live up to the promise surrounding its arrival on the F1 calendar.

Rather than producing the hard-fought action and spectacular racing that had been anticipated, the race was characterised by a lack of overtaking and long periods in which the order remained largely unchanged.

The paper questions whether Formula 1 has prioritised spectacle and the creation of glamorous new venues over the fundamentals required to produce genuinely exciting racing.

Antonelli's victory may have been historically significant, but The Telegraph's overriding conclusion is that the Madring offered little evidence that F1 has found the right direction for its future calendar.

🇳🇱 De Telegraaf – Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli united: Lando Norris the big loser at the Madring

De Telegraaf focuses on the shared view of Verstappen and Antonelli that Norris was the major victim of circumstances in Madrid.

The McLaren driver had started from pole and appeared to have the race under control, only for the Virtual Safety Car and the timing of his pit stop to transform his advantage into a deficit that he could never fully recover.

Verstappen and Antonelli were therefore broadly in agreement that Norris had been extremely unfortunate, rather than simply beaten on pace.

The Dutch outlet consequently presents Antonelli's victory as one in which strategy and circumstance were just as important as outright speed, with Norris left wondering what might have been.

🇮🇹 Gazzetta dello Sport – How much is Kimi Antonelli's advantage over Russell really worth?

Gazzetta dello Sport turns its attention to the increasingly intriguing championship battle inside Mercedes following Antonelli's victory in Madrid.

The Italian publication examines the size and significance of his advantage over George Russell, comparing the current situation with previous championship campaigns and asking whether the gap is now large enough to make Antonelli the clear favourite for the title.

Antonelli's eighth win of the season has given him another major boost, particularly with Russell unable to match his team-mate's consistency at the front.

Gazzetta nevertheless examines the numbers and historical precedents rather than treating the championship as already settled, suggesting there is still plenty of racing left for Russell to overturn the deficit.

🇫🇷 L'Équipe – We were sold a car-killing monster, but the Madring is ultimately a deadly machine for falling asleep

L'Équipe is particularly unimpressed by the new Madrid circuit, taking aim at the gap between the track's pre-race reputation and what actually unfolded on Sunday.

The Madring had been promoted as a demanding, unforgiving venue that would punish mistakes, but L'Équipe argues that its first Grand Prix instead produced a largely soporific spectacle.

The narrow layout made overtaking extremely difficult, leaving drivers largely dependent on strategy or unusual circumstances to make meaningful progress.

The French newspaper therefore questions whether the circuit can deliver the close racing Formula 1 had hoped for, despite the excitement generated by its arrival on the calendar.

🇳🇿 NZ Herald – Liam Lawson creates Kiwi history with sixth-placed finish in Spanish Grand Prix

The NZ Herald celebrates Liam Lawson's breakthrough sixth-place finish as another significant milestone in the New Zealander's increasingly impressive 2026 campaign.

Starting eighth, Lawson gained two positions over the 57-lap race and kept his Red Bull out of trouble on a circuit where overtaking proved extremely difficult.

The result earned him eight points and took his season tally to 59, moving him beyond Denny Hulme's previous New Zealand record of 51 points in a single F1 season.

It was therefore a landmark afternoon for Lawson, who added another chapter to New Zealand's Formula 1 history while securing his best result of the season.

🇦🇺 Herald Sun – Max Verstappen's brutal verdict on new Madrid street track

The Herald Sun turns its attention to Verstappen's assessment of the Madring, with the Red Bull driver offering a blunt verdict on Formula 1's newest circuit.

Despite finishing second behind Antonelli, Verstappen was far less enthusiastic about the track itself, with the limited opportunities to race and overtake becoming a central part of his criticism.

His comments echo the broader concerns surrounding the inaugural event, with the circuit's tight nature making it difficult for drivers to use the performance of their cars to fight their way through the field.

The Herald Sun consequently frames Verstappen's verdict as another warning for F1, with the new Madrid venue needing to prove that it can provide better racing than it did in its first Grand Prix.