Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli will begin qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix’s Madring circuit with the fastest time after FP3 was marred by two crashes. The Mercedes driver reclaimed top spot after a lengthy stoppage in Madrid, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

FP3 was halted after 23 minutes when Lewis Hamilton locked up his front tyres into Turn 22, striking the Tec Pro wall and dislocating his front wing. Contrary to his team’s instructions, Hamilton attempted a full lap on three wheels before abandoning the effort at Turn 14. Barrier repairs took so long that race control stopped the clock at 15m38s.

After nearly 40 minutes, Leclerc first set 1m32.963s before Antonelli took the lead with a 1m32.797s on his second attempt. Haas driver Oliver Bearman then crashed into the concrete wall at Turn 10 in the final minute, cementing Antonelli’s advantage.

Mc Laren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were third and fourth. Max Verstappen was fifth as Red Bull continued to struggle, while George Russell was sixth and Nico Hulkenberg eighth.