King Felipe on the podium, royals in the paddock, and Antonelli wins a race Norris deserved
Royals, Footballers and the Fashion
Madrid delivered the guest list to match the occasion. King Felipe VI presented Sunday’s trophy having spent the weekend trackside with Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía — one of the Royal Family’s most relaxed public outings in recent memory, the King sharing his passion for motorsport with his daughters in what felt like a genuinely private family day. They posed with Alonso and Sainz, stepped inside the Mercedes-AMG Safety Car garage, and the King was on the podium at the end of it all.
The sporting guest list was equally strong. David Beckham was in the paddock as a guest of Audi — Real Madrid royalty at Real Madrid’s home Grand Prix. Rafael Nadal appeared. Jude and Jobe Bellingham walked the circuit. Vinícius Júnior came through on Saturday alongside Brazilian influencer Virginia Fonseca. And the emotional heart of the weekend: Fernando Alonso arriving with wife Melissa Jiménez and their children. Spain waited forty-five years. The sight of that family walking in was a moment decades in the making.
One paddock subplot that lit up the WAGs corner — Magui Corceiro, long-standing TAG Heuer ambassador and former Norris partner, was back at the circuit entirely in her own right, on her own contract. In 2026, the careers these women build increasingly outlast the relationships that brought them there.
On Sunday fashion, Alicia Torriani delivered the biggest statement of the season — a coordinated Silvia Tcherassi look topped with a Van Cleef and Arpels necklace at eight thousand eight hundred euros and a Rolex Oyster Perpetual, a total of nineteen and a half thousand euros. Alexandra Leclerc softened after her iconic Dior newspaper dress moment — a Desigual halter dress at ninety-nine euros, Jimmy Choo pumps at seven hundred and ninety-five. The dress cost ninety-nine euros. The shoes cost eight times that. Off track, Carmen organised a brand event attended by Lily Muni He and Isabella Bernardini. The paddock is where these women now do business.
The Race
Antonelli wins. Verstappen second. Norris third — and the most frustrated man on the podium.
Norris had the fastest car all weekend. He lost this race not on performance but on timing — the virtual safety car triggered by Stroll’s retirement fell on the one lap that handed Mercedes the lead. Norris missed the pit window by a single lap, rejoined behind Verstappen with no way through, and finished third. He said he drove a perfect race and lost twenty seconds through no fault of his own. He was right.
Antonelli ran wide at turn one, rebuilt without drama, and was in position when fortune arrived. He said so himself. He now leads the championship by eighty-eight points. That gap is not coming back.
Hamilton retired on lap six with a brake failure — four races without a podium for Ferrari. Leclerc fourth, Russell fifth, Lawson sixth, Colapinto seventh. Three hundred and fifty-three thousand spectators across the weekend. Sold out. The circuit needs more overtaking opportunities, the paddock needs condensing, and the ticket prices were steep. But Madrid is a world-class city with a sold-out crowd and a royal family that genuinely loves the sport. Give it two more editions and a revised layout. The bones of a great Grand Prix are absolutely there.
Next — Baku.
