Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time in Free Practice 3 for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, leading Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri in the final practice session at the all-new Madring. The Mercedes driver’s 1m32.797s lap put him 0.166s ahead of the Ferrari, with Piastri a further 0.023s adrift.

The session was brought to an early conclusion by a crash for Oliver Bearman, following an earlier incident involving Lewis Hamilton. With qualifying next on the schedule, teams were left with limited time to prepare for the first Saturday afternoon session at the new Madrid circuit.

Running began cautiously, with Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg the first drivers to set timed laps. The Audi team-mates traded the early benchmark, before Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton emerged on soft tyres. Hamilton recorded a 1m34.284s, with Leclerc 0.149s behind.

Antonelli then set a 1m33.664s lap, just 0.002s shy of the track record he had established on Friday. Leclerc responded with a 1m33.332s, while Max Verstappen was among the later runners to take to the track.

Hamilton’ brought out the red flags when he locked up at the final corner and hit the Tecpro barrier. The Ferrari driver damaged his front wing and front tyres, and although he initially continued, the team instructed him to stop after identifying a puncture on the front right. He eventually brought the car to a halt at the side of the circuit.

The red flags were shown with 15 minutes and 30 seconds remaining, but the session resumed shortly afterwards. Leclerc immediately set the first 1m32s lap of the weekend, a 1m32.963s effort, to move ahead of Piastri. The McLaren driver was 0.325s slower, with Antonelli a further 0.028s behind.

Antonelli then returned to the top of the timesheets with a 1m32.797s lap, 0.166s faster than Leclerc. Piastri finished third, ahead of team-mate Lando Norris, with Verstappen fifth and George Russell sixth.

Liam Lawson was seventh for Oracle Red Bull Racing, ahead of Hülkenberg and Hamilton. Bortoleto completed the top ten, with Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Bearman following.

In the final moments Ollie Bearman lost control of his Haas in Turns 10 and 11 and hit the wall hard on the exit. The brought the session to a premature end, leaving Haas with limited time to repair the car before qualifying. The incident also meant that the final practice order remained unchanged, with Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren separated by less than two tenths of a second at the front.

Arvid Lindblad completed seven laps after Racing Bulls worked on his car following Friday’s crash, which had necessitated a chassis change. He finished 14th, ahead of team-mate Yuki Tsunoda. There was trouble though for Alex Albon. The Williams driver tapped the wall early on and though it looked like there was minimal damage, a broken rear track rod meant he would play no further part in the session. 

Antonelli’s fastest lap puts Mercedes at the head of the order ahead of qualifying, but the narrow margins between the leading teams suggest a closely contested session is in prospect at the Madring.

2026 FIA Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix – Free Practice 3
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:32.797 13 210.032
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:32.963 0.166 13 209.657
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:32.986 0.189 12 209.605
4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:33.033 0.236 13 209.499
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:33.172 0.375 9 209.187
6 George Russell Mercedes 1:33.499 0.702 11 208.455
7 Liam Lawson Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:33.902 1.105 14 207.561
8 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:33.933 1.136 14 207.492
9 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:34.284 1.487 5 206.720
10 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:34.288 1.491 15 206.711
11 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:34.346 1.549 14 206.584
12 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:34.430 1.633 12 206.400
13 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:34.481 1.684 12 206.289
14 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:34.505 1.708 7 206.236
15 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:34.565 1.768 12 206.105
16 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:34.971 2.174 13 205.224
17 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:35.020 2.223 17 205.118
18 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:35.464 2.667 15 204.164
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:35.570 2.773 12 203.938
20 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:36.441 3.644 13 202.096
21 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:36.670 3.873 13 201.617
22 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes - 2