Hamilton and Bearman crash in final Spanish GP practice, Antonelli top

Lewis Hamilton, the seven-times world champion Formula One driver for Ferrari, was involved in a crash during the final practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix at the new circuit in Madrid on Saturday. The accident occurred with just over half an hour remaining in the session, forcing the race officials to halt proceedings. Hamilton locked up his car and collided with the barriers at the final corner, managing to reverse out and attempt to navigate back to the pit lane, despite instructions to stop.

The front wing of his Ferrari was wedged under the car, and the vehicle had also suffered a punctured front right tyre. Despite team instructions to stop the car in the safest possible location, Hamilton persevered, hoping to return to the pits on a moped if he could make it back. The session was red-flagged, and the clock was temporarily stopped for barrier repairs with roughly 15 minutes remaining.

Qualifying later on Saturday will be crucial for the Sunday race, as overtaking will likely be challenging due to the demanding layout, which Mercedes' George Russell described as having less margin for error than Monaco due to closely spaced walls but higher speeds. Hamilton had been the fourth fastest driver at the time of the crash, with his teammate Charles Leclerc topping the timesheets.