{"id":893043,"date":"2026-09-12T13:26:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T13:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/893043\/"},"modified":"2026-09-12T13:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T13:26:10","slug":"formula-one-2026-spanish-grand-prix-qualifying-at-the-madring-live-formula-one-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/893043\/","title":{"rendered":"Formula One 2026: Spanish Grand Prix qualifying at the Madring \u2013 live | Formula One 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Key events<\/p>\n

Preamble<\/p>\n

Kimi Antonelli does not need luck. Last year his promotion to the second seat at Mercedes looked premature and he was exposed on occasion, but he thoroughly absorbed every lesson and is a deserved leader of the title race. But fortune has favoured him too, whether indirectly \u2013 such as the catalogue of agonies suffered by his teammate George Russell, who would otherwise be far closer in the standings than 66 points \u2013 or directly, as was the case with a red flag and a virtual safety car in last Sunday\u2019s Italian Grand Prix, which enabled him to turn 19th place on the grid into a win.<\/p>\n

Antonelli does not hesitate to credit Toto Wolff and the rest of the Mercedes team, not just for producing the car. The biggest decision was promoting an 18-year-old into the seat for last season, but even in smaller ones they have been vindicated, such as choosing Monza, with its openings for overtaking, as the venue for Antonelli to take the penalties for utilising new power unit components.<\/p>\n

But with Antonelli winning in such unpropitious circumstances, the title race \u2013 which looked as if it could open up after Lando Norris\u2019s back-to-back wins \u2013 could soon be a procession. Maybe what F1 needs right now is a new track to spice things up.<\/p>\n

Enter the Madring, which may or may not prove an unfortunate bit of nominative determinism. As Giles Richards reports<\/a>, Russell described the circuit as \u201cmental\u201d after watching Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak crash in F2 practice:<\/p>\n

double quotation markRussell observed the Madring was set to be an even sterner test than Monaco. \u201cI would put this as a circuit that has less margin, purely because of the speed,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Monaco the walls are closer but because you\u2019re going slower \u2013 if you make a mistake you\u2019re not into the wall as quickly, and you can recover it sometimes. It\u2019s more lock-up. Here, there\u2019s less margin.\u201d<\/p>\n

The issue, explained Russell, was that the fast corners were combined with the angles of the barriers on exit. \u201cYou see at this barrier, it\u2019s kind of like coming back on to the track,\u201d he said, indicating where the smoking wreckage of Inthraphuvasak\u2019s car was sitting. \u201cSo if you are to go wide and hit the wall, you\u2019re not hitting it at the same angle as the car is going. The car is going towards the wall but the wall is sort of coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oliver Bearman\u2019s car is lifted up by a crane after crashing during practice. Photograph: Jakub Porzycki\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Oliver Bearman certainly found it testing in Saturday\u2019s FP3, and so did Lewis Hamilton:<\/p>\n

double quotation markLewis Hamilton crashed his Ferrari in final practice for the \u2060Spanish Grand Prix at Madrid\u2019s new Formula One circuit on Saturday, bringing the \u2060session to a \u2060halt \u200bwith just over half an hour remaining.<\/p>\n

The seven-times world champion locked up and went \u2060into the barriers at the final corner. He managed to reverse out and tried to get \u2060the damaged Ferrari back to the Madring pitlane, virtually \u200ba whole lap, while \u200cignoring team instructions \u200cto stop.<\/p>\n

The Briton eventually did pull over, with the front \u200cwing still wedged under the car which also had a punctured front right tyre.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop the car. Stop in the safest place possible,\u201d he had been told earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can make it back I will. If \u200cnot, I will do it safely,\u201d replied Hamilton, who returned to the pits on the back \u200bof a moped after parking up. Press Association<\/p>\n

A hybrid of streets and purpose-built sections, Madrid\u2019s new circuit is certainly a challenge. Join me from 2.30pm BST in the buildup to the 3pm start to Spanish Grand Prix qualifying, and in the meantime here\u2019s Giles\u2019s full on-the-ground look at the Madring.<\/p>\n

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