Fourteen drivers start the Grand Prix at Paul Ricard with a fresh gearbox in the back of the car. This includes Perez, Verstappen and also Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas, unlike his teammate, will not start with a new gearbox. This is because he already had to change his earlier in the season after the crash at Imola with George Russell.
After every six Grand Prix that a driver gets through without changing a gearbox, he will be allowed to do so without getting penalised. As the 2021 French GP is the seventh Grand Prix of the 2021 season, several drivers can use a new gearbox.
Kimi Antonelli capitalized on a Virtual Safety Car to edge Lando Norris before holding off Max Verstappen to win the inaugural Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix at Madring
Complete F1 2026 Driver standings after Spanish GP: Kimi Antonelli extended his lead to 81 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell, Lewis Hamilton title chances
Full F1 2026 Spanish Grand Prix Race Results, Madring: 1. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes; 2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull, +4.351s; 3. Lando Norris, McLaren, +5.089s; 4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, +29.116s
Full 2026 F1 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying Results: Lando Norris snatched the first-ever pole position at Madring from Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011s in a dramatic final-lap showdown