Antonelli leads Spanish GP practice as Madring makes its F1 debut

Kimi Antonelli led the Spanish Grand Prix practice for Mercedes at the Madring circuit on Friday, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton following closely. George Russell, Antonelli's teammate, was second in the first session. The practice was interrupted briefly when British rookie Arvid Lindblad crashed during his second session, becoming the first F1 driver to crash at Madring and triggering red flags.

Despite the crash, Antonelli maintained his pace with a best lap of 1:33.662, just 0.113 seconds quicker than Leclerc. Seven-time champion Hamilton was 0.149 seconds behind. The 19-year-old Lindblad apologized for losing control and crashing into barriers sideways at Turn 13. Russell, who led practice one, was fifth. Leclerc and Hamilton were third and fourth in the first session at the bright and challenging Madring track near Barajas airport.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull's four-time world champion, was sixth, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri, McLaren's Lando Norris (who missed the second session due to a gearbox change), and Racing Bulls' Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top ten. Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, representing home teams Aston Martin and Williams respectively, were 15th and 17th in the sessions from Spain, while several drivers complained about others obstructing their paths during the session.