Championship leader Kimi Antonelli delivered a commanding display in final practice at the Spanish Grand Prix, setting the pace ahead of qualifying as Lewis Hamilton's collision with the barriers cost him crucial preparation time on Saturday.
The Mercedes driver ran into trouble just 20 minutes into the session when he misjudged his braking into the final corner and struck the barriers head-on, though the impact occurred at relatively modest speed. The front wing detached and became lodged beneath the front right tyre, prompting Ferrari to advise him to bring the car to a halt immediately.
Rather than comply, Hamilton attempted to nurse the damaged machine back towards the pit lane to preserve running time before qualifying at 3pm, with build-up coverage starting at 2.15pm on Sky Sports F1. He eventually came to rest in the middle sector after driving with the compromised car for an extended period.
Sky Sports F1 analyst Anthony Davidson criticised the seven-time world champion's decision to continue driving with a damaged front wing.
Any young driver that is watching this right now, you don't do that. You just don't do that. That's what you could have tried to do [get back to the pits] but that rule is there for a reason,Davidson said.
If it [the front wing] went under the car completely and jacked your front wheels up and there were marshals on the track... you've got to think of all these scenarios.
The incident triggered a 45-minute red flag period as marshals worked to repair the damaged barriers. Officials stopped the clock with 15 minutes remaining in the session, allowing drivers additional laps to acclimatise to the new Madring circuit.
Antonelli emerged from the disrupted session with a blistering lap of 1:32.797, finishing 0.166 seconds clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. The Italian driver, who holds a 66-point advantage over Mercedes team-mate George Russell in the Drivers' Championship, demonstrated the pace that has kept him at the top of the standings.
McLaren showed competitive form with Oscar Piastri claiming third position and Lando Norris fourth, despite the latter missing almost the entirety of second practice on Friday. Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished fifth, while Russell could only manage sixth place.
The tight margins suggest qualifying could prove wide open, with drivers continuing to find improvements as track conditions evolved throughout the session. According to Formula1.com, Antonelli moved from final practice pace-setting to provisional pole position in qualifying, though the championship battle remains fiercely competitive.
Haas driver Oliver Bearman encountered significant difficulties navigating the demanding circuit, suffering a substantial crash at the high-speed Turn 11. The incident left his team facing a race against time to repair the car in preparation for the qualifying session.
The new Madrid circuit has proven exceptionally challenging for the grid. Sky Sports' preview noted that drivers expected the Madring to be unusually disruptive and demanding before racing even started, and Friday's sessions bore out those concerns. Crash.net reported that Arvid Lindblad's accident in FP2 triggered the first red flag of the Formula 1 weekend at the new track.
Hamilton's difficulties on Saturday follow a challenging opening day at the circuit. On Friday, George Russell topped opening practice ahead of Antonelli, while Hamilton finished fourth and drew repeated criticism from other drivers for impeding them on the tight track layout.
What happens next
Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, 12 September, from 15:00 to 16:00, with race day set for Sunday, 13 September, at 14:00. Sky Sports' coverage begins with build-up at 2.15pm, qualifying at 3pm, and Ted's Qualifying Notebook at 6pm on Saturday. Sunday's Grand Prix build-up starts at 12.30pm, with the race commencing at 2pm.
