Kimi Antonelli Tops Spanish GP FP2 as Ferrari Duo Chase at Madring
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli ended Friday’s running at the Spanish Grand Prix as the fastest driver on track, heading a Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in the second hour of practice at the Madring circuit.
Antonelli Sets Unbeatable Benchmark
The Italian posted a session-best time of 1m 33.662s before the session was halted to recover Arvid Lindblad‘s damaged Racing Bulls car. No driver managed to improve on Antonelli’s lap in the closing minutes, giving him an advantage of just over a tenth of a second over Leclerc in second place.
With a limited amount of time to learn the new Madrid circuit, all 22 drivers were eager to maximize Free Practice 2 and begin pushing the limits—ideally while avoiding the daunting walls that line the Madring layout.
Alonso Misses Early Running With Clutch Issue
Unfortunately for Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin confirmed the home favorite would miss the beginning of the session due to a clutch issue suffered following his practice starts in FP1.
Haas pair Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman were the first to head out in the high temperatures, leading a long queue of competitors before George Russell—who topped the times in FP1—set an early benchmark of 1m 36.011s.
Ferrari Strong on Mediums as Track Evolves
Russell was soon demoted down the timesheets as Ferrari continued their impressive showing on the medium tyres. Leclerc claimed the top spot until the standings leader completed his first effort to go over a second clear.
As expected on a track with a freshly laid surface, the evolution was notable. Leclerc closed the gap to just 0.001s, ensuring that Mercedes and Ferrari drivers occupied P1 through P4 in the opening 15 minutes.
Despite his impressive lap, Ferrari were struggling in the final sector, where they were significantly down on the likes of Antonelli. They weren’t the only ones facing issues—McLaren opted to change Lando Norris‘ gearbox, restricting him to the garage, while Oscar Piastri complained about a lack of rear grip.
Lindblad Impresses Before Turn 13 Crash
Although Piastri managed to improve on the soft compound, his lap was eclipsed by Lindblad. The Racing Bulls driver consistently impressed through the first sector to wind up just two tenths off Antonelli’s fastest time.
But the lack of incidents couldn’t last forever. Coming into Turn 13, Lindblad lost the rear and crashed into the barriers, bringing an early end to his day at the Madring and triggering a red flag period.
Final Classification After Red Flag
Once the subsequent red flag period concluded, Antonelli remained P1 thanks to his earlier rapid time, leaving him ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton on the timesheets. Lindblad similarly held onto P4 ahead of Russell, Max Verstappen, and Piastri.
Yuki Tsunoda was eighth for Racing Bulls, followed by Haas’ Ocon and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson. Pierre Gasly claimed P11, the Frenchman leading the Audi pair of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, Bearman, Franco Colapinto, and home favorite Carlos Sainz.
Despite his shorter running, Alonso took P17 while Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas completed the order, with Norris unable to set a representative time for McLaren.
Saturday Running Ahead
With the first day of action in Madrid complete, the teams and drivers will have the chance to delve into their learnings overnight before the final hour of practice takes place at 12:30 local time on Saturday, September 12.
