Antonelli tops opening day in Madrid as Lindblad crashes at challenging Madring

Kimi Antonelli topped Practice Two at Madrid's new Madring circuit, setting a 1:33.662 as the circuit's punishing nature was exposed by Arvid Lindblad's heavy crash.

The Mercedes driver edged Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton by just over a tenth, extending his championship lead to 66 points over George Russell with 10 rounds remaining, after winning from 19th on the grid at Monza last weekend.

Why it matters:

Madrid hosts F1 for the first time since 1981, and the tight, unforgiving layout was always expected to cause trouble. F1 drivers largely avoided it in Practice One, but Lindblad wasn't so fortunate in the afternoon, underlining the challenge of a circuit nobody has raced before.

The details:

• Lindblad's crash: The 19-year-old had just moved up to fourth when he lost control at Turn 13, spinning into the barrier. The 10-minute red flag halted qualifying simulations and secured Antonelli's top spot.
• Mercedes vs Ferrari: The teams look closely matched, setting up an intriguing qualifying contest on Saturday.
• Russell's struggles: The Brit could only manage fifth, though he still edged out Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.
• Norris's setback: Reigning champion Lando Norris failed to set a time after a gearbox failure ended his session after just two laps.
• McLaren's muted start: Expected to be competitive after Norris's back-to-back wins before Monza, McLaren showed little pace.

What's next:

Qualifying on Saturday will reveal whether Mercedes or Ferrari holds the edge at the Madring. Norris faces an uphill battle after his lost track time, while the threat of further incidents looms after a day of chaos in F2 and F3.