Antonelli leads Leclerc in chaotic Madrid FP3 as Hamilton and Bearman crash

News Summary

• Andrea Kimi Antonelli topped Spanish GP FP3 with a 1:32.797, beating Charles Leclerc by just 0.100s at Madring.
• Lewis Hamilton’s crash at the final corner caused a lengthy stoppage for TecPro barrier repairs, with Race Control unusually freezing the session clock at 15:38 remaining.
• FP3 ended under another red flag after Oliver Bearman spun into the barrier at Turn 11 with less than a minute remaining.

It took more than half an hour before Andrea Kimi Antonelli could once again demonstrate Mercedes’ strength around Madring. After Lewis Hamilton’s crash caused such a lengthy red flag that Race Control temporarily froze the FP3 countdown — an unusual measure during Formula 1 free practice — the Italian returned to the track and eventually claimed the fastest time of final practice for the 2026 Spanish GP.

Antonelli finished on top with a 1:32.797, while Charles Leclerc ended only 0.100s behind for Ferrari. Oscar Piastri followed in third for McLaren.

The final practice session provided the clearest demonstration yet of how costly an accident can be at Madrid’s new circuit.

With approximately 36 minutes remaining, Hamilton locked up approaching the final corner and went straight into the barrier. The seven-time world champion was able to reverse away from the wall, but his Ferrari had suffered significant front-end damage and a front-right puncture.

Hamilton initially attempted to return to the pits with the damaged front wing trapped underneath the SF-26.

Ferrari told him to stop the car, but Hamilton continued, apparently unaware that the front wing was lodged underneath the floor and believing he could still make his way back.

“Stop the car. Stop in the safest place possible,” Ferrari instructed him.

“If I can make it back I will. If not, I will do it safely,” Hamilton replied.

The Briton eventually stopped further around the circuit.

The bigger problem for the session was the damage caused to the TecPro barrier.

Repairs took so long that, with 15:38 remaining, Race Control temporarily stopped the FP3 countdown rather than allowing the remaining practice time to disappear while marshals continued working.

That is an unusual intervention in Formula 1 free practice, where the clock ordinarily continues counting down during a red-flag period.

The session was finally cleared to resume at 13:32 local time, approximately half an hour after Hamilton’s accident.

How Spanish GP FP3 unfolded

With ambient temperature at 24°C, the track at 44°C and relative humidity at 43%, the pit lane opened at 12:30 local time.

There was little immediate urgency.

Gabriel Bortoleto was the first driver onto the circuit, followed by Audi teammate Nico Hülkenberg, while most of the field remained in the garages during the opening minutes.

Arvid Lindblad was not expected to participate after his heavy FP2 accident at Turn 13 forced Racing Bulls into a chassis change. The rookie had nevertheless finished fourth on Friday despite the crash, only 0.228s behind Antonelli.

Lando Norris, meanwhile, had more reason than most to get to work. The McLaren driver had lost his entire FP2 program on Friday because of a gearbox problem, leaving him short of mileage at a completely new circuit.

With 45 minutes remaining, the 2 Audis still occupied the top positions, although only Aston Martin, Williams, Cadillac and Liam Lawson — running the hard tire — had joined them in setting representative laps.

The first serious benchmark arrived when Leclerc fitted the softs and posted a 1:34.433.

Hamilton then went 0.149s quicker to temporarily give Ferrari a 1-2.

Carlos Sainz subsequently produced one of the session’s first warning moments. The Williams driver ran deep at Turn 7 and had to brake heavily to avoid hitting the barrier head-on, briefly triggering yellow flags.

Antonelli then began showing Mercedes’ hand.

With around 40 minutes remaining, the championship leader fitted soft tires and posted a 1:33.664, approximately 0.6s quicker than Hamilton.

Norris also moved ahead of the Ferrari driver, but Leclerc immediately responded with a 1:33.332 to regain first place.

At that stage, Leclerc led Antonelli, Norris and Hamilton, followed by Hülkenberg, Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda, Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto.

Then FP3 changed completely.

Hamilton crashes and Race Control freezes the clock

Hamilton was improving his sector times when he misjudged the braking zone for the final corner.

The Ferrari went straight into the barrier.

Hamilton was able to reverse away, but the front-right tire was punctured and the broken front wing had become wedged underneath the car. He initially attempted to complete almost an entire lap back towards the pits before eventually obeying Ferrari’s instruction to stop.

The red flag appeared with roughly 36 minutes remaining.

What initially looked like a relatively conventional interruption soon became something much more significant. The impact had damaged the TecPro barrier badly enough to require extensive repairs.

Twenty minutes after Hamilton’s crash, Race Control took the unusual decision to freeze the FP3 clock with 15:38 remaining.

The measure ensured teams would not lose virtually all of their remaining preparation time while repairs were being completed.

The delay nevertheless threatened the rest of Saturday’s schedule, particularly with qualifying still to come later in the afternoon.

Finally, at 13:32 local time, Race Control gave the green light.

Almost everybody immediately headed back out. The Williams drivers and Hülkenberg were among the exceptions as the rest of the field scrambled to complete their final qualifying simulations.

Antonelli beats Leclerc by 0.100s

Leclerc was immediately quick after the restart.

The Ferrari driver improved to a 1:32.963, lowering the benchmark as the track continued to gain grip.

Antonelli initially improved without doing enough to displace the Monegasque, while Piastri, George Russell, Max Verstappen and Norris all joined the fight near the front.

But Mercedes had another answer.

Antonelli eventually produced a 1:32.797, beating Leclerc by exactly 0.100s and securing the fastest time of FP3.

It continued an impressive weekend for the 20-year-old championship leader. Mercedes topped FP1 with Russell before Antonelli led FP2 on Friday with a 1:33.662, 0.113s ahead of Leclerc.

Madrid had been expected to present a very different challenge to the characteristics that helped Mercedes at Monza, but the W17 has now finished fastest in all 3 practice sessions.

Ferrari, however, remains extremely close.

Leclerc’s 0.100s deficit provides further evidence that the Scuderia has the pace to challenge Mercedes in qualifying, while Piastri’s rise to third finally provided a stronger indication of McLaren’s potential after a compromised Friday.

And just when it appeared the chaotic session would finally reach a conventional conclusion, Madring claimed another car.

Bearman crashes with less than a minute remaining

With less than a minute left in FP3, Oliver Bearman lost control of the Haas at Turn 11.

The Briton spun and went into the barrier, immediately bringing out another red flag.

Bearman climbed out of the car and was OK, but there was no possibility of restarting the session with so little time remaining.

FP3 therefore ended under red flags, confirming Antonelli as the fastest driver ahead of Leclerc and Piastri.

The timing creates an additional problem for Haas. With qualifying approaching, the team now faces a tight turnaround to inspect Bearman’s car and complete whatever repairs are required before Q1.

It was an appropriately chaotic conclusion to a session that demonstrated precisely why drivers had treated Madring with so much respect on Friday.

The new 5.4km circuit has 22 corners, a combination of public-road and purpose-built sections, high-speed changes of direction and barriers that leave little margin for error.

On Friday, Lindblad crashed. On Saturday, Hamilton’s accident required approximately half an hour of barrier repairs before Bearman ended FP3 with another impact. The speed, however, remains with Mercedes.

Antonelli heads into qualifying with a 1:32.797 and the fastest time of the weekend, while Leclerc’s 0.100s deficit suggests the battle for the first Madrid pole could be considerably closer than Mercedes’ clean sweep of practice sessions suggests.

GRANDE PRÊMIO follows all the action from qualifying and the inaugural Formula 1 weekend at Madring.

2026 F1 Spanish GP — FP3 Results

FAQ

Who was fastest in FP3 at the 2026 Spanish GP?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli was fastest with a 1:32.797 for Mercedes, finishing 0.100s ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Oscar Piastri was third for McLaren.

What happened to Lewis Hamilton in Madrid FP3?

Hamilton crashed at the final corner and damaged his Ferrari as well as the TecPro barrier. He initially attempted to continue with a punctured front-right tire and the damaged front wing trapped underneath the car before eventually stopping. The subsequent barrier repairs caused a lengthy red flag.

Why did F1 stop the FP3 clock in Madrid?

Race Control temporarily froze the countdown with 15:38 remaining because repairs to the barrier damaged in Hamilton’s crash were taking an unusually long time. The measure preserved the remaining practice time, with FP3 eventually resuming at 13:32 local time.