2026 Formula 1 Spanish GP
F1 Spanish GP: Follow FP3 in Madrid with live timing
Follow along for all the action at Formula 1's third practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring
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We'll be back shortly for qualifying. Thanks for joining us!
Here's our FP3 session recap.
Audi takes a very encouraging eighth place with Hulkenberg, four tenths faster than the next midfield outfit (Alpine).
The session won't be restarted, so Antonelli tops FP3 from Leclerc and Piastri – three different teams in the top three.
So, no crash in FP1, one in FP2, two in FP3. Will drivers keep it together in qualifying?
The Briton is out of his car and headed to the medical car.
Oof. Bearman spun at high speed and hit what looks like a concrete wall. That wasn't nice.
The Haas mechanics will need to repair the front- and rear-left corners of the car at the very least.
Oliver Bearman is in the wall. That's really bad news for Haas, given the session has been extended and we're now just two hours and 10 minutes away from qualifying.
Or not! Red flag.
One minute to go, let's see what drivers can do as they fine-tune their preparation for qualifying.
Piastri goes third, 1m32.986s.
Antonelli retakes P1! He sets a 1m32.797s, 0.166s faster than Leclerc.
Lots of traffic for Hulkenberg, who went quickest in the first sector. He ends up with a 1m33.933s only.
Albon hasn't been seen on track since he hit the wall with his front left, having suffered damage.
Needless to say everyone is on soft tyres.
Norris sets the fastest third sector and laps within 0.070s of Leclerc.
Antonelli goes marginally faster than Piastri, he's 0.297s down on Leclerc. Russell is more than half a second adrift of the Ferrari.
Piastri laps 0.325s slower than the Monegasque but still takes P2.
Leclerc sets the first 1m32s lap of the weekend, a 1m32.963s.
Everyone is on track but Hulkenberg, Albon and (obviously) Hamilton.
And here we go!
The session will resume at 1:32pm local time.
This writer actually had a look at the old Valencia infrastructure in person over the summer. You wouldn't think it used to be the site of an F1 grand prix. The kerb and starting grid markings are faint, but still visible. What was used as a pit building is empty. The permanent sections of the track are a bit of a wasteland.
That's also why we had two races in Spain from 2008 to 2012, with the Valencia round. Plus this year, but it won't last consistently, as Barcelona will next host F1 in 2028, 2030 and 2032.
Obviously, lots of Spaniards in attendance. Let's not forget Alonso put Formula 1 on the radar in a country that's always been more about motorcycles. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, there was virtually no interest in F1. Until Alonso became a frontrunner.
F1 TV has turned to grandstand interviews. A Spanish man says he still has hope for a third Alonso title; meanwhile, a Maryland man explains he's visiting his daughter in Madrid, but neither she nor his wife have joined him at the grand prix.
You might not think such a low-speed crash would cause damage that would require half an hour to fix, but that's how it is. You can't predict those things.
Race control has stopped the timer with 15 minutes and 30 seconds remaining.
How about a tyre round-up? Everyone has been using softs so far today, except the Audis (mediums), Lawson (hards) and Lindblad (no laps completed).
Lindblad is in his car, so he should be able to venture out on track by the end of the session.
The Tecpro barrier is still being repaired, so we have a little while longer to wait before the green flag is waved.
Hamilton's crash in video.
As we wait for the session to restart, why not read our MotoGP qualifying report and see what's going on in the two-wheel world??
The seven-time world champion finally stops trackside. He may avoid any trouble with the stewards, who will have noticed his insistence on driving back to the pits and may have thought, "Such shenanigans!"
"Stop in the safest place possible", race engineer Carlo Santi requests.
"If I can make it back, I will. If not, I will do it safely," Hamilton replies.
"We have a puncture on the front right. Stop the car," Santi insists, sounding mildly annoyed.
"I can see that, I can see that," Hamilton acknowledges.
Hamilton locked up and went straight into the Tecpro barrier at the last corner and damaged at least his front wing and front tyres.
He got going again but is being asked to stop the car. He's got a full lap to do with his ailing Ferrari.
Red flag.
Lewis Hamilton is in the wall!
Max Verstappen takes to the track, the 21st driver to do so today, 20 minutes into the session. Arvid Lindblad, however, isn't about to: his team is still working on his car following a chassis change due to his hefty Friday crash.
By: Autosport Staff