2026 Spanish GP FP3: Antonelli Top, Hamilton & Bearman Crash

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli set the pace in the final practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, but two significant crashes ensured there was no straightforward conclusion to Formula 1’s preparations for qualifying in Madrid.

Antonelli produced a 1m 32.797s to finish 0.166s ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, confirming his speed around the all-new circuit after also topping FP2 on Friday. Oscar Piastri took third for McLaren, with team mate Lando Norris fourth on his return to full running.

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Lewis Hamilton’s heavy front-wing damage brought out a lengthy red flag early in the session, before Ollie Bearman suffered a much faster accident at Turn 11 in the closing moments. Bearman’s impact ended FP3 and left Haas facing an urgent repair job before qualifying.

2026 Spanish Grand Prix FP3 Results

2026 Spanish Grand Prix FP3, 12 September 2026

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:32.797	13
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.166s	13
3	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.189s	12
4	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.236s	13
5	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.375s	9
6	63	George Russell	Mercedes	+0.702s	11
7	30	Liam Lawson	Red Bull Racing	+1.105s	14
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	+1.136s	14
9	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+1.487s	5
10	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	+1.491s	15
11	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	+1.549s	14
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	+1.633s	12
13	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	+1.684s	12
14	41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	+1.708s	7
15	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Racing Bulls	+1.768s	12
16	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+2.174s	13
17	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+2.223s	17
18	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+2.667s	15
19	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+2.773s	12
20	11	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	+3.644s	13
21	77	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	+3.873s	13
22	23	Alexander Albon	Williams		2

Hamilton’s quick lap ends against the wall

Hamilton’s accident came only 20 minutes into the session, just as the seven-time World Champion appeared set to produce one of the fastest laps of the weekend.

The Ferrari driver outbraked himself approaching the final corner and hit the barriers head-on. Although the impact occurred at a relatively low speed, the collision dislodged the front wing and left it trapped beneath the right-front section of his car.

Hamilton initially managed to reverse away from the barrier, but Ferrari immediately instructed him to stop because of the damage. With every lap valuable before qualifying, however, the Briton attempted to nurse the car back towards the pit lane.

He was ultimately unable to complete the journey and came to a halt in the middle sector, having driven for an extended period with the broken front wing lodged beneath the Ferrari.

The decision to continue attracted criticism from Sky Sports F1 analyst Anthony Davidson, who argued that the instruction to stop existed for an important safety reason. A loose wing could have moved further beneath the chassis and lifted the front wheels, potentially leaving Hamilton without steering control while marshals were preparing to work around the track.

The incident also cost Hamilton crucial preparation time before qualifying. Although Ferrari had shown competitive pace throughout Friday and again during the early stages of FP3, the crash denied him the opportunity to complete the normal sequence of Soft-tyre laps and final set-up checks.

Lengthy stoppage reshapes final practice

Race control suspended the session while Hamilton’s car was recovered and repairs were made to the barriers at the final corner. The red-flag period lasted approximately 45 minutes, creating an unusually long interruption in the final hour before qualifying.

With 15 minutes showing on the clock when the accident occurred, officials stopped the session timer. That decision preserved the remaining running time and gave the drivers an opportunity to return to the circuit once the barriers had been repaired.

When the pit lane finally reopened, the compressed closing period produced a frantic sequence of qualifying simulations. Drivers queued for track position and pushed immediately, with the Madring continuing to evolve as every lap added grip to its new asphalt.

Antonelli emerged on top with his 1m 32.797s, improving on the 1m 33.662s that had led FP2 and becoming the first driver to break into the 1m 32s around the Madrid circuit during an official Formula 1 session.

The Mercedes driver’s advantage over Leclerc was 0.166s, leaving the pair closely matched ahead of qualifying. Antonelli entered the weekend leading team mate George Russell by 66 points in the Drivers’ Championship, and his pace across Friday and Saturday offered another reminder of the form that has placed him at the head of the 2026 F1 World Championship.

McLaren rebounds as leading teams converge

McLaren enjoyed a much more productive session after its disrupted Friday. Piastri finished third, while Norris took fourth after missing almost the entirety of FP2 because the team needed to change his gearbox.

The return of both McLarens to the sharp end added further uncertainty to the qualifying picture. Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull all showed flashes of competitive pace across the three practice sessions, while the constant track evolution continued to reward drivers able to improve with each attempt.

Max Verstappen placed fifth for Red Bull, with FP1 pace-setter Russell only sixth in the second Mercedes. Despite their positions, neither could be discounted from the fight for pole, given the interrupted running and the improving circuit conditions.

Hamilton’s accident meant his final position was not representative of Ferrari’s apparent potential. Leclerc’s second place, combined with the Scuderia’s strong Friday pace, ensured the team remained firmly among the leading qualifying contenders even as work began to repair Hamilton’s car.

The home drivers endured another difficult session. Fernando Alonso finished 17th for Aston Martin, 2.2 seconds away from Antonelli’s benchmark, while Carlos Sainz took 18th for Williams with a deficit of 2.6 seconds.

Bearman adds to the repair pressure

Just as the field attempted to complete its last flying laps, Bearman provided a final demonstration of how quickly the Madring can punish a small mistake.

The Haas driver crashed heavily through the high-speed Turn 11, immediately before the circuit’s banked Monumental section. His car struck the barriers with substantial force and sustained major damage, including around the left-rear corner.

The impact brought out another red flag and ended the session, leaving no opportunity for the remaining drivers to improve. It also handed Haas a race against time to rebuild Bearman’s car before the start of qualifying.

The late accident reinforced the central challenge of Formula 1’s newest venue: Monaco-style margins combined with significantly higher speeds. With the drivers still learning the circuit and the surface changing rapidly, the fight for pole remained unusually open after an interrupted final practice.