Antonelli tops red-flagged Madring FP2 as Lindblad crashes

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli set the pace in second practice for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit, leading a tight Mercedes-Ferrari battle. The session was interrupted by the weekend's first red flag when Arvid Lindblad crashed early in the final quarter of the hour.

Why it matters:

Madring arrived with a reputation as a car killer, and Lindblad's crash underlined the risks. With a brand-new layout and limited running, teams must balance performance with reliability before qualifying.

The details:

• Antonelli's 1m33.662s edged Charles Leclerc by 0.113s, with Lewis Hamilton a further 0.036s back.
• Lindblad was fourth before losing the rear on entry to Turn 13, ending his session early. The Racing Bulls driver reported he was okay.
• George Russell, who topped FP1, could only manage fifth after struggling to match Antonelli on the soft tyre.
• Max Verstappen led the Red Bull charge in sixth, ahead of Oscar Piastri, while Yuki Tsunoda was the best of the rest in eighth.
• Lando Norris had a session to forget: gearbox issues limited him to two slow laps and no representative time.
• Fernando Alonso also had pre-session clutch problems, finishing 17th, while Lance Stroll was told to slow late on.

What's next:

Teams face one more practice session before qualifying, where the lessons learned from this tricky new circuit will be put to the test. Expect more set-up changes overnight as the field chases Antonelli's benchmark.