Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli set the pace in Free Practice 2 for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, edging Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in the second session at the all-new Madring.

The championship leader posted a fastest lap of 1:33.662s to finish 0.113s ahead of Leclerc, with Hamilton a further 0.036s behind. Antonelli’s benchmark, set shortly before the session was red-flagged with 25 minutes remaining, proved sufficient for the Italian to end Friday at the head of the order.

With the 5.4km, 22-turn circuit featuring a combination of public-road sections and a purpose-built loop, drivers continued to adapt to the demands of the new venue. The narrow streets offered little margin for error, while the freshly laid surface continued to evolve as running progressed.

Antonelli led the early stages on Medium tyres with a 1:34.428s lap, before Red Bull’s Max Verstappen briefly moved ahead. The Mercedes driver soon reclaimed the advantage with a 1:33.926s effort, putting team-mate George Russell within a tenth of his time.

The switch to Soft tyres around the halfway mark brought further improvements, with Antonelli setting the pace once more. Leclerc and Hamilton moved into second and third, while Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad produced an impressive lap to take fourth.

Lindblad’s promising session ended shortly afterwards when he lost control of his car at Turn 13 and made contact with the barriers. The incident brought out the red flags, with marshals working to repair the damaged TecPro barrier. The British driver escaped unharmed.

The interruption prevented further improvements at the front, leaving Lindblad fourth on the timesheets ahead of Russell and Verstappen. The Red Bull driver finished sixth, 0.401s off the pace, while Oscar Piastri was seventh for McLaren.

Piastri reported a lack of rear grip during the session but improved to 1:34.200s on Soft tyres. His team-mate Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, was unable to set a representative time after completing just two laps. McLaren confirmed that a gearbox change was required, restricting Norris’s running.

Yuki Tsunoda was eighth for Racing Bulls, followed by Haas’s Esteban Ocon and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson. Pierre Gasly led the Alpine challenge in 11th, ahead of Audi’s Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. Oliver Bearman was 14th for Haas, with Franco Colapinto and home favourite Carlos Sainz completing the next two positions.

Fernando Alonso’s session began late after Aston Martin repaired a clutch issue sustained during his practice starts in FP1. The two-time World Champion finished 17th, ahead of Williams’ Alexander Albon. Sergio Pérez, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas completed the order.

2026 FIA Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix – Free Practice 2 
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:33.662 24 208.092
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:33.775 0.113 26 207.842
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:33.811 0.149 23 207.762
4 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:33.890 0.228 15 207.587
5 George Russell Mercedes 1:33.999 0.337 25 207.346
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:34.063 0.401 22 207.205
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:34.200 0.538 24 206.904
8 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:34.758 1.096 26 205.686
9 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:34.867 1.205 26 205.449
10 Liam Lawson Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:34.938 1.276 21 205.296
11 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:34.959 1.297 21 205.250
12 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:35.060 1.398 22 205.032
13 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:35.170 1.508 25 204.795
14 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:35.203 1.541 26 204.724
15 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:35.886 2.224 22 203.266
16 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:36.291 2.629 25 202.411
17 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:36.780 3.118 16 201.388
18 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:36.936 3.274 22 201.064
19 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:37.195 3.533 24 200.528
20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:37.273 3.611 20 200.368
21 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:37.727 4.065 24 199.437
22 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes - 2