Kimi Antonelli fastest at Madring: Mercedes on top, Ferrari right behind, Lindblad causes first red flag
Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished the first day of the historic Formula 1 weekend at the new Madring as the fastest driver in the second free practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver completed a lap in 1:33.662, beating Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari by 0.113 seconds, while Lewis Hamilton was third, 0.149 seconds behind. According to the FIA's official report, Antonelli's fastest lap was set immediately before the practice session was interrupted, and the result did not change again before the end of the session. Mercedes thus confirmed a strong start to the weekend in Madrid after George Russell had been fastest in the first practice session, ahead of Antonelli himself. The first day on the completely new circuit therefore ended with a clear message that Mercedes and Ferrari, at least judging by the pace seen so far, will be among the main contenders in the fight for the best starting positions.
The second practice session also produced the first more serious incident involving a Formula 1 car at Madring. Arvid Lindblad, who until that point had been driving extremely competitively and holding fourth place, lost control of the Racing Bulls car and hit the protective barrier. The FIA states that the incident occurred in the Turn 13 area and that a red flag was shown because of damage to the protective TecPro barrier. Lindblad climbed out of the car uninjured, but his car suffered significant damage, leaving the team with additional work before Saturday's programme. His fourth-fastest time, only 0.228 seconds slower than Antonelli's, nevertheless remained one of the biggest sporting positives of the opening day.
Antonelli responds to Russell and takes the top spot
The first free practice session on Friday, September 11, belonged to George Russell, who completed a lap in 1:34.077. Antonelli was second at the time, 0.286 seconds behind, while Leclerc and Hamilton finished behind the Mercedes duo. According to the FIA, Max Verstappen was fifth, Lando Norris sixth, while Lindblad had already shown good pace in the morning session by finishing seventh. The first practice session had particular value for the teams because, before this weekend, nobody had real racing data from Madring; simulators and computer models had to be compared for the first time with the behaviour of the cars on the actual, newly laid surface.
In the second practice session, Antonelli very quickly showed that Mercedes had not been at the top earlier in the day by accident. On the medium tyre compound, he first set a 1:34.428, after which Verstappen briefly moved ahead of him. The Italian then responded with a lap of 1:33.926, and after switching to soft tyres around the middle of the session, he further lowered the time to the final 1:33.662. Leclerc responded with a 1:33.775 and Hamilton with a 1:33.811, meaning that the three fastest cars finished within less than fifteen hundredths of a second. Russell was fifth this time, 0.337 seconds behind his teammate, while Verstappen finished sixth, 0.401 seconds off the pace.
That order further increases the importance of Saturday's third practice session and qualifying. Madring combines fast sections, narrow street sections and technical corners with little room for error, so starting position is expected to have a major influence on how the race develops. Although practice results do not fully reveal the competitive order because teams use different fuel loads, power-unit modes and tyre programmes, the small gaps at the front show that the fight for pole position could be considerably less predictable than it appeared after Mercedes occupied the top two places in the first practice session. Ferrari reduced the gap in the second session, while Racing Bulls showed with Lindblad's time that it can join the leading group in a qualifying simulation.
Lindblad fast before hitting the barrier
Lindblad's Friday was one of the most striking parts of the opening day at Madring. The young Racing Bulls driver first finished seventh in the first practice session, then improved to fourth in the second with a time of 1:33.890. He was faster than Russell, Verstappen and both McLarens at the point when the leading drivers completed their most important qualifying-lap simulations. Shortly afterwards, he lost control of the car and ended up in the barrier, showing how the new circuit is defined by a fine line between a very fast lap and a serious mistake. The interruption came approximately 25 minutes before the end and disrupted the long-run plans of most of the drivers.
According to the FIA report, marshals had to repair the damaged TecPro protection before driving could resume. The incident was also the first red flag caused by a Formula 1 car accident during official sessions at the new Madrid venue. After practice, Lindblad told RACER that the impact had not been as severe as it looked and that the car was damaged but repairable. He particularly stressed that the more important fact for him was that fourth place had been achieved through genuine pace rather than through a combination of circumstances. Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane also emphasised that the car's speed provides cause for optimism, although the team will have to assess the consequences of the crash and prepare the car for the remainder of the weekend.
For the new circuit, such an incident was also the first serious indication of how little room there is in certain parts of the lap. Madring is not a classic street circuit in the full sense, but a hybrid that connects public roads with purpose-built sections around the IFEMA Madrid complex and the Valdebebas area. The walls are very close to the ideal racing line in some places, while in others the drivers face high speeds, changes in elevation and demanding transitions between different types of corners. This means that time can be gained by aggressively using the full width of the circuit, but also that a small mistake can end in contact with the barrier.
Ferrari within reach, Verstappen behind the leading quartet
Ferrari ended the second practice session with both cars within 0.15 seconds of Antonelli, which is an important step forward after Mercedes occupied the top two places in the first session. Leclerc was closest to Antonelli, while Hamilton was only 0.036 seconds behind his teammate. Given that the grip level on the new circuit changed from lap to lap, that result suggests that precise car setup and tyre preparation will be crucial in qualifying. After the first day, Ferrari received confirmation that it can match Mercedes over a single fast lap, but the true balance of power over longer runs remained less clear because of the interruption caused by Lindblad's accident.
Verstappen finished sixth, just over four tenths behind the leading time. Oscar Piastri was seventh for McLaren with a time of 1:34.200, and according to the FIA he reported a lack of rear-end grip during the session. Yuki Tsunoda took eighth place in the second Racing Bulls car, Esteban Ocon was ninth for Haas, and Liam Lawson tenth for Red Bull. The difference between Antonelli and Lawson in tenth place was 1.276 seconds, which on a completely new circuit and in conditions of rapid track evolution is an expectedly larger spread than is often seen on established circuits.
Lando Norris had a particularly difficult practice session. The reigning world champion finished without a representative time after completing only two laps because McLaren had to change the gearbox on his car. The FIA states that the technical problem severely limited his programme, so Norris missed a key part of Friday during which the other drivers were collecting data on tyre behaviour and car balance. On a circuit that everyone is still learning, such a loss of track time can be more important than at a familiar autodrome because the driver simultaneously has to learn the limits of the asphalt, kerbs, braking points and lines through the fast corners.
Sainz and Alonso far from the top on the opening day
Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso finished the second practice session outside the top fifteen. Sainz was 16th for Williams with a time of 1:36.291, 2.629 seconds behind Antonelli, while Alonso took 17th place with a deficit of 3.118 seconds. The FIA states that Alonso was delayed in getting onto the circuit because Aston Martin was repairing a clutch problem that had appeared during practice starts in the first practice session. As a result, he completed 16 laps, noticeably fewer than most drivers who had an uninterrupted programme.
Behind Alonso finished Alexander Albon, Sergio Pérez, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas, while Norris remained last without setting a time because of his technical problem. Sainz's weekend has an additional local dimension because he was born in Madrid and is one of the most prominently promoted drivers of the first edition of the race at Madring. Alonso, a two-time world champion, is also attracting major attention from the Spanish public, but Friday for Aston Martin was marked by technical difficulties rather than a fight near the front. For both teams, the third practice session will therefore be particularly important in order to find a better setup before qualifying.
Madring is a new test for the 2026 generation of cars
According to Formula 1's official guide, Madring has 22 corners and is 5.414 kilometres long. The circuit was built around the IFEMA Madrid exhibition complex and combines public roads with purpose-built segments, so the organisers describe the venue as a hybrid between a street and permanent circuit. The most recognisable section is Turn 12, called La Monumental, approximately 550 metres long, with banking of up to 24 percent. Formula 1 states that approximately 45,000 spectators could be accommodated around that corner, making it one of the main visual symbols of the new event.
Pirelli selected the C2, C3 and C4 compounds for the Madrid weekend, respectively as the hard, medium and soft tyres. The tyre manufacturer states that Madring ranks among the more demanding circuits in terms of tyre load, with lateral forces comparable to those in Barcelona and Silverstone. La Monumental is particularly demanding, where the combination of the corner's length and steep banking creates significant vertical loading. The new asphalt is also very smooth and offers relatively little grip at the start of the weekend, so the character of the circuit is expected to change as rubber is laid down on the ideal racing line.
In the current 2026 generation of cars, the new aerodynamic and energy-management options also play an additional role. Formula 1's Madring guide lists two zones for the so-called Straight Mode, a configuration in which aerodynamic drag is reduced on straight sections, as well as one detection zone for Overtake Mode. This is part of the new rules that replaced the previous DRS concept and changed the way drivers manage aerodynamics and electrical energy during a lap. As a result, Madring is not only a new location but also an entirely new technical problem: the teams are simultaneously discovering the circuit and trying to optimise cars that were themselves introduced this season.
Madrid returns to Formula 1 after more than four decades
The Madrid Grand Prix is part of a long-term agreement between Formula 1 and IFEMA Madrid running from 2026 to 2035. When announcing the project, Formula 1 stated that the new venue is located near the IFEMA exhibition centre and Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, with public-transport connections to the rest of the city. Madrid is not an entirely new name in the history of the world championship: the Jarama circuit, north of the Spanish capital, hosted nine world championship races between 1968 and 1981. Nevertheless, Madring is a completely new project, and this weekend represents its first official appearance on the Formula 1 calendar.
The 2026 season also has a specific structure in Spain. In June, a race was held at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya under the name Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, while the national designation Spanish Grand Prix was assigned to the new Madrid race. Pirelli explicitly stated this in its preview of the June weekend, thereby clarifying the difference between the two events in the same country. The Madrid race is the 14th round of the current championship, and its debut comes at a time when the title fight has already developed a clear structure around the Mercedes duo.
Visitors attending the multi-day programme can also find accommodation offers in Madrid, while the sporting focus will remain on how the new circuit behaves in qualifying and in Sunday's race with 22 cars.
Antonelli arrived in Madrid as the championship leader
Antonelli's result in the second practice session carries additional weight because of his position in the title fight. The official Formula 1 standings after 13 races show that the Italian leads with 267 points, 66 more than teammate Russell, while Hamilton is third with 191 points. Leclerc is fifth with 155 points and Verstappen sixth with 127, so Mercedes has built a significant advantage in both the drivers' and constructors' championships. In the constructors' standings, Mercedes has 468 points, ahead of Ferrari with 346 and McLaren with 287.
Antonelli arrived in Madrid immediately after victory at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, where, according to the FIA, he won after starting from 19th place. Russell finished second there and Verstappen third, allowing Mercedes to further strengthen its control of the championship. The first day in Madrid continued that trend: Russell led the first practice session, Antonelli the second, and neither Mercedes finished Friday outside the top five. However, Ferrari's small deficit in the second session shows that Saturday's qualifying does not have to be a one-sided affair.
Saturday brings the final practice session and the first qualifying session in Madring history
According to the official Formula 1 schedule, the third free practice session takes place on Saturday, September 12, from 12:30 local time in Madrid, while qualifying begins at 16:00. The Spanish Grand Prix starts on Sunday, September 13, at 15:00. Because this is a completely new circuit, every additional lap in the third practice session will be important, especially for drivers such as Norris and Alonso who lost part of their planned track time on Friday.
Ahead of qualifying, Antonelli has the best result of the weekend so far, but the gaps from the second practice session leave enough room for changes. Leclerc and Hamilton are immediately behind him, Russell already showed first-place pace in the opening practice session, and Verstappen will be looking for improvement after finishing sixth in the second session. Lindblad proved that Racing Bulls can produce a very fast lap, but after the accident his team will first have to complete the repairs and check the car. Formula 1's first Friday at Madring therefore delivered exactly what was expected from a new circuit: rapid learning, extremely small gaps at the front and a warning that mistakes near close protective barriers can be costly.
Sources:
- FIA - official report and results of the second free practice session in Madrid (link)
- FIA - official report and results of the first free practice session at Madring (link)
- Formula 1 - announcement of the agreement with IFEMA Madrid to hold the race from 2026 to 2035 (link)
- Formula 1 - official guide to Madring, circuit configuration and key technical characteristics (link)
- Formula 1 - official schedule of the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix and weekend timetable (link)
- Formula 1 - current 2026 drivers' championship standings (link)
- Formula 1 - current 2026 constructors' championship standings (link)
- Pirelli - technical preview of Madring, tyre selection and analysis of circuit loads (link)
- Pirelli - context of the Barcelona race name and assignment of the national Grand Prix designation to Madrid (link)
- RACER - Lindblad's comments after the accident and Racing Bulls' assessment of his pace (link)