Kimi Antonelli, who currently tops the championship standings, posted the fastest time in the final practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix at the newly built Madring circuit. The session, however, was dramatically interrupted when seven‑time world champion Lewis Hamilton suffered a crash that cost him precious track time just before qualifying. Only about twenty minutes after the session began, Hamilton appeared to be on a rapid lap that could have placed him near the top of the timesheets.
As he approached the final corner, he mis‑judged his braking point, ran wide and collided head‑on with the safety barriers. The impact was relatively low‑speed, but it was enough to dislodge the front wing. The wing slid down and became trapped beneath the right‑hand front tyre, prompting Ferrari’s race engineers to advise Hamilton to bring the car to a stop. Despite the advice, Hamilton attempted to nurse the damaged car back toward the pit lane, hoping to preserve as much running time as possible before the qualifying session, which was scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm (with a build‑up period starting at 2:15 pm).
While he managed to reverse out of the barrier, the compromised front wing continued to scrape the tyre, eventually forcing the car to come to a halt in the middle sector of the track. Sky Sports F1 commentator Anthony Davidson criticised the decision, noting that any young driver watching would understand that continuing to drive a car with a broken front wing is unsafe and against the regulations. "You don’t do that," Davidson said. "The rule exists for a reason – if the wing were to fall completely and lift the front wheels, you could endanger marshals and other drivers." The incident triggered a red‑flag period that lasted 45 minutes while marshals repaired the barrier and cleared debris.
During the stoppage, the session clock was stopped with fifteen minutes left, allowing the drivers to resume and complete a few more flying laps on the freshly repaired section of the circuit. When the session restarted, Antonelli set a blistering lap of 1:32.797, edging out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.166 seconds and extending his championship lead to 66 points over his Mercedes teammate George Russell. The young Italian’s performance underscored his growing reputation as a future star, and his pace suggested that the fight for pole position could be wide open. McLaren also showed encouraging speed, with Oscar Piastri posting the third‑fastest time and Lando Norris, who missed most of the second practice on Friday, climbing to fourth.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull rounded out the top five, while Russell managed sixth place. The evolving track conditions – the asphalt warming under the Spanish sun and the gradual removal of dust – meant that lap times were dropping with each additional lap, keeping the battle for the front of the grid highly competitive. Haas rookie Oliver Bearman experienced a dramatic setback on the high‑speed Turn 11, suffering a heavy crash that highlighted the difficulty of mastering the new layout. His car sustained significant damage, leaving the team with a race against the clock to repair it before qualifying could commence.
The weekend schedule is packed with action. On Saturday, September 12, the build‑up to qualifying begins at 2:15 pm, followed by the qualifying session at 3:00 pm, then the Formula 3 Feature Race 1 at 4:55 pm, and later Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 6:00 pm. Sunday, September 13, features the second Formula 3 Feature Race at 8:40 am, the Formula 2 Feature Race at 10:20 am, and the Grand Prix itself at 12:30 pm build‑up, with the race starting at 2:00 pm. The event will conclude with the chequered flag at 4:00 pm and post‑race reaction segments, including Ted’s Notebook, later in the afternoon.
All sessions are broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with additional coverage on Sky Sports Main Event. Fans can stream the coverage via Sky Sports with the NOW service, which offers a contract‑free option that can be cancelled at any time.
The Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit promises a thrilling race day, with the track’s modern facilities and evolving grip levels offering plenty of opportunities for overtaking and strategic battles. As the drivers continue to adapt to the new layout, the final qualifying results will set the stage for what could be an unforgettable race in Madrid.