Antonelli tops Madrid practice as rookie Lindblad crashes — SkimNews
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- Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time of 1:33.662 in Practice Two, edging Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton by little more than a tenth of a second at the brand-new Madring circuit in Madrid.
- Arvid Lindblad, a 19-year-old British rookie, became the first F1 driver to crash at the Madring when he lost control at Turn 13 on a flying lap, hitting the barrier at high speed and triggering a 10-minute red-flag delay.
- Antonelli arrives in Madrid as the 2026 world championship leader, 66 points clear of Mercedes teammate George Russell after winning the Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid last weekend.
- George Russell finished only fifth and appeared to struggle with his setup, being edged by Red Bull's Max Verstappen and McLaren's Oscar Piastri — a notable gap given Russell sits second in the standings.
- Reigning world champion Lando Norris was unable to set a time after a gearbox failure forced him out of Practice Two after just two laps, leaving McLaren with no representative pace on Friday at an unfamiliar circuit.
- Mercedes and Ferrari appeared closely matched on Friday's evidence, setting up what promises to be a genuine qualifying battle as F1 returns to the Spanish capital for the first time since 1981.
Why it matters: Antonelli's 66-point championship cushion combined with his Friday pace strengthens Mercedes's hand heading into Saturday qualifying, while Norris's zero-lap Friday at an entirely new circuit puts the reigning champion on the back foot. The fact that Leclerc and Hamilton split by only a tenth keeps Ferrari firmly in the fight rather than letting Mercedes run away with it.
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