Spanish GP: Antonelli tops crash-hit final practice

Kimi Antonelli delivered a timely warning to his rivals ahead of qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, topping a chaotic final practice at the Madring, a session twice interrupted by heavy crashes.

The championship leader posted a 1m32.797s to edge Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and put Mercedes at the head of the order heading into Saturday afternoon’s fight for pole.

The first major disruption arrived just 23 minutes into the session when Lewis Hamilton locked the front tyres under braking for the final corner and hit the TecPro barrier.

• Results to follow...

The Ferrari suffered front-wing damage, but Hamilton’s predicament was made worse by the timing of the incident: he had already passed the pit entry. The seven-time world champion therefore attempted to limp back around the circuit with his damaged wing dragging across the asphalt.

The wing eventually began damaging his front-right tyre, forcing Hamilton to abandon the attempt at Turn 14.

The lengthy barrier repairs prompted race control to stop the clock at 15m38s, preserving sufficient running time once the track was ready.

Leclerc had led the way before the stoppage with a 1m33.332s, ahead of Antonelli, Lando Norris and Hamilton.

Antonelli strikes after restart

Once the circuit reopened after almost 40 minutes of repairs, Leclerc immediately raised the benchmark to 1m32.963s. Antonelli initially fell around three tenths short, but the Mercedes driver found a sizeable improvement on his next attempt.

His 1m32.797s lap proved good enough for P1, with the second red flag arriving before anyone could mount a final challenge.

Haas rookie Oliver Bearman brought out the stoppage in the closing minute after losing the rear of his car through Turn 10 and clouting the concrete wall. The impact caused substantial damage to the left side of his Haas and ended the session prematurely.

Behind the leading pair, McLaren showed signs of progress after a difficult Friday, with Oscar Piastri and Norris taking third and fourth, just two tenths off Antonelli.

Max Verstappen was fifth after a delayed start, 0.375s off the pace, as Red Bull continued to struggle with the Madring’s kerbs and overall balance.

George Russell ended up sixth after his pre-red-flag flyer was compromised, while Liam Lawson was seventh after a mistake on his final run.

Nico Hulkenberg, who briefly set the fastest first sector, was eighth for Audi, ahead of Hamilton and teammate Gabriel Bortoleto.

Alex Albon endured the shortest session of all, touching the wall early and spending the remainder of FP3 in the garage while Williams repaired his suspension.

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