Kimi Antonelli, who currently heads the championship standings, topped the timing sheets in the final practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix at the newly built Madrín circuit. The session, however, was marred by a dramatic incident involving seven‑time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who lost valuable track time after a heavy impact with the barriers. Only twenty minutes into the hour‑long practice, Hamilton appeared to be on a fast lap that could have set him up well for the upcoming qualifying round.
Approaching the final corner, he mis‑judged his braking point, ran wide and struck the tyre barrier head‑on. Although the impact was at a relatively modest speed, the collision was enough to dislodge the front wing of his Mercedes. The wing folded and became lodged under the right‑hand front tyre, prompting Ferrari’s race engineers to advise an immediate stop for safety reasons.
Defying the advice, Hamilton attempted to nurse the car back toward the pit lane, hoping to preserve as much of his running as possible before the 3 p.m. qualifying session (the build‑up began at 2:15 p.m.).
He managed to reverse out of the barrier but soon realized the damaged wing was dragging, and the car eventually stalled in the middle sector of the track. Sky Sports F1 commentator Anthony Davidson criticised the decision, noting that any young driver watching would understand the risks of continuing to drive a car with a compromised front wing. "You don't do that," Davidson said.
"The rule exists for a reason – if the wing were to come completely free and lift the front wheels, you could endanger marshals and other drivers." The crash forced race officials to deploy a red flag for roughly forty‑five minutes while the barrier was repaired and the track cleared. During the stoppage, the session clock was halted with fifteen minutes left, allowing the drivers a chance to complete additional laps once the session resumed 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 a narrow 0.166 seconds and extending his championship lead to 66 points over his Mercedes teammate George Russell.
McLaren also showed strong pace, with Oscar Piastri posting the third‑fastest time and Lando Norris in fourth, despite Norris having missed almost all of the second practice session on Friday due to earlier issues. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen recorded the fifth‑quickest lap, while Russell rounded out the top six.
The tight spread of times suggested that pole position could be contested by any of the front‑running teams, especially as the track continued to evolve and drivers extracted more performance with each lap. The practice session also highlighted the challenges of the Madrín layout.
Haas rookie Oliver Bearman suffered a severe crash at the high‑speed Turn 11, underscoring how unforgiving the circuit can be. His team now faces a tight timetable to repair the car before qualifying, adding another variable to the weekend’s unfolding drama. Looking ahead, the weekend schedule is packed. On Saturday, September 12, the build‑up to qualifying begins at 2:15 p.m., with the qualifying session itself slated for 3 p.m.
Following the F1 action, the day will feature the Formula 3 Feature Race at 4:55 p.m. and Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 6 p.m. Sunday, September 13, continues with the second F3 Feature Race at 8:40 a.m., the Formula 2 Feature Race at 10:20 a.m., and the main Grand Prix race at 12:30 p.m. (build‑up) with the race starting at 2 p.m.
The day will conclude with the chequered flag at 4 p.m., a post‑race reaction segment, and Ted’s final notebook at 5 p.m. All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with additional coverage on Sky Sports Main Event.
Viewers can stream the coverage via the NOW platform, which offers a contract‑free option and the ability to cancel at any time. In summary, Antonelli’s dominant performance in final practice positions him as the man to beat, while Hamilton’s mishap serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of adhering to safety protocols, even for seasoned champions.
The evolving grip levels at Madrín, combined with the tightly packed schedule, promise an exciting and unpredictable qualifying session and race weekend ahead.