Lewis Hamilton crashed into a barrier during the final practice of the Spanish GP: Video

Lewis Hamilton crashed his Ferrari into the barriers in final practice for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday, ending practice early and adding another setback to a difficult weekend for the seven-time world champion.

Hamilton locked up at the final corner of Madrid’s new Madring circuit and crashed into the wall, damaging the front of his Ferrari and puncturing the right front tyre. Despite the damage, the Brit attempted to steer the car back into the pit lane, ignoring his team’s initial instruction to stop.

“Stop the car. Stop in the safest place possible,” Hamilton said over the team radio.

“If I can do it, I’ll do it. If not, I’ll do it safely,” Hamilton replied.

He eventually stopped after completing most of the lap, with his front wing wedged under the car. Hamilton then returned to the pits on the back of the moped as the session was red flagged.

EXPENSIVE MISTAKE

The crash came with just over half an hour to go and cut short what had been promising for Hamilton. He was fourth fastest at the time of the incident, with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc setting the pace.

The timing couldn’t have been worse for Hamilton. Qualifying later on Saturday is expected to be particularly important at the new Madrid circuit. Overtaking is likely to be difficult on the tight and challenging layout, putting more emphasis on securing a strong grid position.

The circuit proved unforgiving already in its first weekend in Formula 1. Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad became the first F1 driver to crash at the Madring during Friday practice, while Fernando Alonso also crashed through the barriers in his Aston Martin. Hamilton was able to get out of the car safely after the impact. (Image: Screengrab from X/@F1)

Mercedes showed strong pace on Friday as George Russell dominated the opening session, with team-mate Kimi Antonelli fastest in the second session. Ferrari stayed close, with Leclerc and Hamilton among the leading contenders.

THE QUALIFICATION IS BIG

Antonelli, who leads the championship, has emerged as one of Hamilton’s key rivals this season. Hamilton is third in the standings, 76 points behind the Mercedes driver, and will be keen to limit the damage in Madrid.

He had previously described driving the new circuit as fun, but Saturday’s crash left Ferrari with a race against time to fix their car ahead of qualifying.

With track position expected to be critical, Hamilton will be hoping the damage is manageable and he can recover quickly from the incident alone in the fight for Sunday’s race.

– The end

Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

12 Sep 2026 17:22 IST