'Racing gods were with us' - Toto Wolff concedes fortunate Madrid F1 win
Antonelli scored an eighth career victory at the Spanish Grand Prix
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes the "race god" was with Kimi Antonelli in Madrid after a fortuitous virtual safety car interruption shifted the Italian into a race-winning position.
Antonelli was trailing Lando Norris by over seven seconds when the virtual safety car was deployed to allow for the recovery of Lance Stroll's Aston Martin after he had become stranded in the Turn 20 runoff.
Initially covered by yellow flags, the VSC was signalled five seconds after Norris had passed the pit entry, gifting those behind to steal a march on the dominant race leader. Things got even worse for Norris one lap later, when the period ended moments before he made his own stop, which compounded his time loss.
While offering his commiserations to McLaren, Wolff told Sky Sports: “I think we've been mostly unlucky with VSCs and safety cars this year.
"Today, the race god was with us, and we were able to literally pull him in when the VSC came out. So, it's unfortunate for McLaren, because they were just past. But, he drove well; very, very well.”
On the rapid nature of the decision to bring Antonelli in, Wolff added: "The process was great today, because the strategy group had it on their mind, obviously.
"Someone said, 'That's not going to clear quickly with the Aston Martin in the wall,' and then it was strategy 2.0. Bono double-checked, Bono to Kimi, and that was all in about three seconds."
Antonelli's latest victory and George Russell's fifth-place finish mean that the Italian has now opened a championship gap of 81 points to his closest rival, with third-placed Lewis Hamilton 101 points back and conceding defeat after the Madrid weekend.
Despite pulling himself yet closer to a maiden F1 crown, Wolff has been impressed by how cool Antonelli is keeping with the pressure ramping up.
"I think he's cool," he said. "Sometimes for me an inch too cool.
"When he brushes the wall five laps to the end and comes on the radio and says, 'Check the car. I think I brushed the wall,' you're like, 'Really? Again? White lines, walls.'
"But maybe that's how he keeps himself in the zone."
Sam joined Crash.net in February 2026 with extensive experience in motorsport media, having covered numerous championships around the world.
