Hamilton Crashes as Antonelli Tops Madrid Final Practice

Kimi Antonelli set the pace in final practice for the Spanish Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton's crash brought out a lengthy red flag and disrupted preparations for qualifying in Madrid.

Why it matters:

The championship leader looks in formidable shape heading into qualifying, but the session was defined by Hamilton's costly mistake. With the field incredibly tight and the track still evolving, every lap counts — and the seven-time champion lost a significant chunk of running.

The details:

• Antonelli's 1:32.797 was 0.166s clear of Charles Leclerc's Ferrari, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris close behind.
• Hamilton outbraked himself at the final corner 20 minutes in, clipping the barriers head-on at relatively low speed. The front wing dislodged and got stuck under his front-right tyre, forcing him to stop mid-sector after attempting to limp back to the pits.
• The incident triggered a 45-minute red flag while barriers were repaired, with the clock stopped for the final 15 minutes.
• Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidson criticised Hamilton for continuing with a damaged car, saying: "Any young driver watching right now, you don't do that."
• Oliver Bearman added to the drama with a heavy crash at high-speed Turn 11, leaving Haas with a repair job before qualifying.

What's next:

Qualifying takes place at 3pm local time, and with the Madring's surface evolving rapidly, the order could shift dramatically. Antonelli leads the title race by 66 points over team-mate George Russell, who could only manage sixth — but nobody is counting out the chasing pack just yet.