Championship leader Kimi Antonelli topped final practice at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid with a 1:32.797, beating Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 0.166s. The session was marred by a heavy crash for Lewis Hamilton just 20 minutes in. Hamilton outbraked himself at the final corner, hitting the barriers head-on.

Despite dislodging his front wing, which became stuck under the front-right tyre, the seven-time world champion attempted to limp back to the pits against team orders. He eventually stopped on track, causing a 45-minute red flag for barrier repairs. Sky Sports F1 analyst Anthony Davidson criticized the decision, stating young drivers should not ignore safety protocols.

The clock was stopped with 15 minutes remaining to allow more running on the evolving Madring circuit. McLaren showed strong pace with Oscar Piastri third and Lando Norris fourth, while Max Verstappen was fifth for Red Bull and George Russell sixth for Mercedes. Haas driver Oliver Bearman also crashed heavily at high-speed Turn 11, leaving his team a race against time to repair the car before qualifying at 3pm.