Antonelli Tops Disrupted Spanish GP Practice as Hamilton and Bearman Crash
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli set the pace in a chaotic final practice session for the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, leading a tightly packed field at the challenging Madring circuit in Madrid. The session was defined by two lengthy red-flag stoppages triggered by heavy impacts for Lewis Hamilton and Oliver Bearman.
Hamilton’s Costly Error Triggers First Stoppage
The first major interruption arrived 23 minutes into the hour-long session. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton locked up his front tyres entering Turn 22, the circuit’s final corner, and slid straight into the TecPro barriers. While the initial contact appeared minor, the damage dislocated his front wing.
Crucially, Hamilton had just passed the pit entry, forcing him to attempt a full lap back to the pits on three wheels. As the damaged wing dragged across the tarmac, it began piercing the front-right tyre. Ignoring team instructions to stop immediately, the seven-time world champion continued until he was forced to abandon the car at the exit of Turn 14.
The extensive barrier repairs required a near 40-minute delay. Race control responded by stopping the session clock at 15 minutes and 38 seconds, preserving track time for the remaining running.
Leclerc Leads Early, But Antonelli Strikes Late
At the moment of the first red flag, Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets for Ferrari with a 1m33.332s, edging out Antonelli’s earlier 1m33.664s. Lando Norris sat third for McLaren, with Hamilton fourth.
When the session resumed for a frantic final shootout, Leclerc immediately lowered the benchmark to a 1m32.963s. Mercedes initially struggled to match that pace, with Antonelli trailing by three tenths. However, on his second flying lap of the restarted session, the Italian rookie found significant time, posting a 1m32.797s to reclaim top spot.
Bearman Crash Ends Session Early
Any hope of a late challenge for the lead evaporated in the final minute. Haas driver Oliver Bearman lost the rear of his VF-25 entering the high-speed Turn 10 right-hander, smashing into the concrete wall. The heavy impact caused significant damage to the left-hand side of the car and brought out the second red flag, effectively ending the session and cementing Antonelli’s position at the top of the order.
McLaren Gains Ground; Red Bull Struggles Continue
McLaren showed encouraging signs after a difficult Friday. Oscar Piastri and Norris secured third and fourth respectively, just two tenths adrift of Antonelli’s benchmark.
Max Verstappen had a disrupted session, only joining the action moments before Hamilton’s crash. The world champion finished fifth, 0.375s off the pace, as Red Bull continued to grapple with the Madring circuit’s aggressive kerbs and a general lack of competitiveness relative to the front-runners.
FP3 Classification Highlights
- 1st: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 1m32.797s
- 2nd: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.166s
- 3rd: Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.201s
- 4th: Lando Norris (McLaren) – +0.215s
- 5th: Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +0.375s
- 6th: George Russell (Mercedes)
- 7th: Liam Lawson (Red Bull)
- 8th: Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
- 9th: Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- 10th: Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
George Russell managed only sixth after aborting a strong lap before the first red flag and failing to piece together a representative run afterwards. Liam Lawson took seventh for the second Red Bull after a mistake on his final attempt. Nico Hulkenberg impressed with the fastest first sector in the Audi but was baulked by traffic later in the lap, settling for eighth. Hamilton dropped to ninth by the chequered flag, with teammate Gabriel Bortoleto rounding out the top ten.
Alex Albon’s session ended prematurely for Williams after he tapped the wall early on, requiring suspension repairs that sidelined him for the remainder of the hour.
Attention now turns to qualifying, where the tight margins displayed in FP3 suggest a fierce battle for pole position on the streets of Madrid.
