Daily News 19

Tag: FP3

  • 2026 Spanish GP FP3: Antonelli Fastest as Hamilton, Bearman Crash at Madring

    2026 Spanish GP FP3: Antonelli Fastest as Hamilton, Bearman Crash at Madring

    Antonelli Tops Disrupted FP3 in Barcelona as Hamilton and Bearman Crash

    Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the pace in the final practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes 1-2-4 on the timesheets as the hour at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was twice halted by heavy accidents for Lewis Hamilton and Ollie Bearman.

    Delayed Start and Early Incidents

    Despite the urgency to gather data at the revised Spanish venue ahead of a critical Qualifying session on Saturday afternoon, the opening five minutes passed without a car on track. The leading contenders, including Lando Norris—who missed almost all of Friday’s second session with a gearbox issue on his McLaren—waited even longer for representative conditions.

    Norris aborted his first flying lap on soft Pirellis after cutting the chicane at Turn 5. Meanwhile, the Ferraris of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc moved to the top of the order. Home favourite Carlos Sainz narrowly avoided head-on contact with the barrier at Turn 7, while his Williams team-mate Alex Albon had earlier glanced the wall at the exit of Turn 20, breaking a rear track rod.

    Hamilton Crash Brings First Red Flag

    Antonelli moved to the top of the times as the 20-minute mark approached, posting a 1m 33.664s before Leclerc lowered the benchmark to 1m 33.332s moments later. Hamilton appeared set to usurp his team-mate on his next effort, but the seven-time World Champion went head-on into the barrier at the final corner, bringing out the red flag.

    The Ferrari driver attempted to return to the pits dragging a broken front wing and a front-right puncture, but pulled over after being instructed to stop by the team multiple times. The session was paused for barrier repairs before resuming with just 15 minutes remaining, prompting a frantic scramble for representative lap time.

    Leclerc Breaks 1m 33s Barrier Before Antonelli Responds

    Arvid Lindblad also returned to action for the first time since his FP2 crash as Racing Bulls rushed to fix a problem on his newly-rebuilt car. Leclerc immediately improved, becoming the first driver to dip below the 1m 33s barrier with a 1m 32.963s. Antonelli’s first attempt fell three tenths short of Oscar Piastri, while George Russell sat half a second adrift in fourth.

    Norris, on just his third flying lap of the day and with minimal mileage, moved to within one-tenth of Leclerc’s leading time. With five minutes remaining, Antonelli delivered a 1m 32.797s to reclaim the top spot.

    Bearman Crash Ends Session Early

    That time stood as the fastest of the session after a second red flag was deployed in the final minute. Bearman crashed his Haas at high speed through Turn 10, leaving his team facing a race against time to repair the car for Qualifying.

    Final FP3 Classification

    Antonelli finished just over one-tenth clear of Leclerc, with Piastri, Norris, Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Russell (Mercedes), Liam Lawson (Red Bull), Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), Hamilton, and Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) completing the top 10.

    Franco Colapinto was 11th for Alpine, followed by the Haas pair of Esteban Ocon and Bearman, Lindblad, and Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls). Pierre Gasly (Alpine) placed 16th ahead of home hero Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Sainz, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), the Cadillacs of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, and Albon, who set no time.

  • Kimi Antonelli Leads Red-Flagged F1 Spanish GP FP3 After Hamilton, Bearman Crashes

    Kimi Antonelli Leads Red-Flagged F1 Spanish GP FP3 After Hamilton, Bearman Crashes

    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.