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Lewis Hamilton has asserted that he shares a good racing relationship with Charles Leclerc after they came close to a disastrous collision at the beginning of the Italian Grand Prix, with the Briton praising Ferrari’s communication in the aftermath. The pair started on the second row for the team’s home race at Monza, but any chance of a podium quickly disappeared as they went side-by-side at Turn 2 and Hamilton took to the gravel, subsequently tumbling down the order before Leclerc crashed not long after. As he called on Ferrari to change things in terms of their approach to the drivers battling one another so they don’t end up in jeopardy again, Team Principal Fred Vasseur hinted that a discussion around rules of engagement was required. Hamilton ultimately recovered to P6 and any tension around the incident seems to have been left in the past, with the focus quickly shifting to this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at the brand-new Madring. Reflecting on his bond with Leclerc, the 41-year-old says:
"I think we've got a good racing relationship. I think the fact is that we are grown ups and are able to communicate with each other, which we have. I'm really happy that he's really healthy and he's back here this weekend because we need him in the fight to challenge Mercedes together. There is all this discussion about communication and execution and stuff, but the communication between John and Benedetto and Fred, and his drivers, are really great. We all sit down and talk afterwards, squash it and move on so nothing lingers. We're just looking forward to how we can work better together".
The frustrating result at Monza sam Hamilton drop to 76 points behind standings leader Kimi Antonelli - roughly the equivalent of three Grand Prix victories. But with 10 rounds remaining, there is still hope in the Ferrari camp that they can continue to take the fight to Mercedes and stay in contention for the championship, with Hamilton’s sights set on a record-breaking eighth drivers’ title.
"I'm still a believer that Ferrari has absolutely everything we need to win. It takes everything coming together, naturally, to be able to achieve what we're trying to achieve. It's also difficult when you're fighting against the team just ahead on performance. I think we just have to continue. We've built a really good foundation with this first part of the year and we just have to continue to build on it. The team has worked incredibly hard to bring upgrades weekend in and weekend out. We've just obviously taken a step with the engine, which is a real positive. I think it's really important to just acknowledge that. I trust in everything that we're doing, the steps we're taking. Trusting Fred, and I really believe that we will get to where we're going. Whether it's next week, several weeks’ time or next year, we'll just keep pushing".
Charles Leclerc admitted ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix that it's pretty clear that I could have done a better job following his on-track moment with Ferrari team mate Lewis Hamilton in Monza. The Ferrari drivers went side-by-side through the opening chicane last weekend, with Hamilton finding himself in the gravel and dropping positions. It was an incident which put a strain on Hamilton and Leclerc's relationship in the immediate aftermath, before the former stated on Thursday's media day in Madrid that the pair have got a good racing relationship. Leclerc confirmed the pair had spoken in the aftermath of the incident to clear the air, with the Monegasque driver admitting he was primarily at fault.
"Having the Turn 2 incident is not something we ever want to see again. And for that, reviewing the images, it’s pretty clear that I could have done a better job just slowing down the car and not putting Lewis then in a difficult situation. So this is something I can learn from, for sure, but we’ve already spoken with Lewis. I think what was very important was to speak, first of all. It's been quite a few years now that I’m in Ferrari - and I kind of know how it feels when everything around Ferrari is kind of on fire. And if you don’t speak between Lewis and I, then you can get caught up with this noise that there is around the team. It’s not that there are no reasons for that noise, but I think the intensity of the noise is a bit too crazy. When you look at Monza, there’s been friction between other team mates and we barely talk about it. But when it’s about Ferrari, it takes proportions that are not normal. But we spoke with Lewis. We’ve always had a great relationship. I have a lot of respect for Lewis, and I told him that in Turn 2 I didn’t behave the way I should have, and the way a team mate should".
Leclerc's race in Monza came to an end on just the second lap after suffering a heavy crash at the final corner, which brought out the red flag. Although Leclerc was medically cleared, the Ferrari driver admits that he did suffer in the immediate aftermath of the crash, but that he will be fully fit for the new challenge of the Madring this weekend.
"I will be 100% fine. I mean, it was only right after the crash that it was just a little bit strange and I felt a little bit dizzy. But very quickly, from Monday afternoon, I felt better. I had quite a few treatments for the neck, because that’s where most of the shock went, and I’m feeling good now. So I’m ready for this weekend. I did quite a lot of checks, and all checks were fully fine. So no worries for this weekend".
George Russell believes that over the course of the 2026 season so far, his Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli has done a better job and deserves to be leading the Drivers’ Championship, but he is not giving up on the title fight quite yet. After a dominant opening round, Russell began to struggle as Antonelli went on a remarkable run of five Grand Prix victories, and while Ferrari and McLaren have taken wins of their own, the Italian driver has steadily eked out a 66-point lead. It puts him in a strong position to become the youngest-ever champion, leaving Russell to admit that he’s under no illusions about the likelihood of overhauling his deficit over the remaining rounds. He explain:
"I'm not trying to be delusional, the reality is my team mate has done a better job than me this year. Had some bad luck but he deserves to be leading and right now he deserves to be in the position he is. From my side, I'm just going race by race, going to try and win as many as possible. If I want to win this championship I'm going to need some luck and that's where we are. I'm being quite realistic about the position we're in".
The comments come after Antonelli stormed from a P19 start to win the Italian Grand Prix, during which he repeatedly went wheel-to-wheel with his team mate before demoting Russell to P2. Asked how he has dealt with the loss, the Briton replies:
"I’ve had good practice of processing stuff this year. I'm feeling good, taken positives away from every weekend. I would have loved to have won the race in Monza, loved to have continued that fight with Kimi. The fact is, he's just doing an amazing job right now and you have to give him credit for that. I've been making some good improvements and still want to keep on that journey to take the fight back to him. That's the mentality I have right now".
He can put that into action this weekend, with the Madring set to host its inaugural Spanish Grand Prix. Being a brand-new circuit with plenty of unknowns, it could shake up the pecking order and create a chance for Russell to return to the top step.
"The level of everyone in F1 is exceptionally high. It’s going to be a circuit where you need confidence. Very challenging, lots of high speed corners, aggressive kerbs. Going to be an experience for sure. Just try and keep out of the wall and build up to it. Every race is an opportunity. This circuit is among the most risky circuits of the season. You want to put everything on the line and go for pole and victory but how I approach this race, it's just going about business as usual".
Kimi Antonelli has labelled his victory at the Italian Grand Prix the best day of my life, with the Mercedes driver hoping to add some more wins to his tally before the end of the season. A planned engine change, and resultant penalties, meant that the 20-year-old was relegated to the back of the grid for his home race, but the pace of the W17 and the overtaking spots around Monza meant that he was always capable of limiting the damage.
What wasn’t expected was Antonelli charging from P19 to contend for the win, with the Italian getting stuck into multiple exhilarating battles with his team mate George Russell before crossing the line 3.857s clear. It not only felt like a landmark result in his second campaign with Mercedes, but also helped to extend his advantage to 66 points in the Drivers’ Championship, so it’s no surprise that he is still savouring his performance ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
"The weekend itself was absolutely incredible. Definitely so far the best day of my life, and an incredible memory. I couldn’t wish for a better day. I didn’t fully realise [what I did] because I also didn’t have much time to do so. I think after this weekend I will have a bit more time to think about it. Of course, I want to do well this weekend as well. Looking back at that day, I think everything was incredible, and for sure the most memorable moment was when I crossed the line and then went on the podium. To see all the Tifosi, this massive crowd of people that was endless, was absolutely incredible. Hearing them singing the national anthem was also very, very special. It was fun coming back through the field, chasing, and then finally crossing the line was a big relief and very emotional".
He went on to explain that while the race proved to him that nothing’s impossible, especially as his initial ambition was simply to recover to the podium, he’s now switched his focus to succeeding at the brand-new Madring. Antonelli add:
"I had goosebumps all the way. The next day I re-watched the podium and everything, and I still had goosebumps because obviously you dream of winning your home race. Doing it in that way and then seeing all the crowd cheering, it was absolutely special. The song at the end was the cherry on top of the cake. You know, singing that obviously super-famous song, and a really cool one. It is stuck in my head as well. Also within the team now, we’re all singing it. So hopefully we will have a reason to sing it this weekend as well. I wish I had a bit more time to realise and enjoy it, but now obviously we’re in Madrid and we’re ready to do our best, and we’ll try to repeat it".
Current World Champion Lando Norris has conceded that he does not think his McLaren car is good enough for him to retain his title - and that George Russell has the best chance of fighting Kimi Antonelli this season for the championship. The British driver is 96 points adrift of the championship leader heading into the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, despite having two race wins under his belt in Budapest and Zandvoort. However, Antonelli's imperious form this year - highlighted by his stunning win in Monza last time out - has seen the young Italian top the standings, with team mate Russell 66 points behind in second.
"Russell is 30 points ahead of me. So George, I think, is still the one who has the best chance of trying to take the challenge to Kimi. Hamilton is still many points ahead of me as well".
Norris went on to explain that McLaren's performance in Monza - where he and team mate Oscar Piastri finished fourth and fifth - showed the team's car does not have pace at certain tracks.
"We have two wins in a row, so the car is good in some places. It’s just, like I said, not as good as it needs to be everywhere. And the only person that has a car that’s the same as Kimi is George. So I wish George the best in trying to fight Kimi".
With the Madring hosting an F1 Grand Prix for the very first time, all the drivers will head into the unknown as they tackle the circuit in real life on Friday. For Norris, while he likened it to Jeddah, he explained that he wouldn't know if the track suited McLaren's car until he had ventured out for practice.
Despite, the unknowns the Briton was still looking forward to the challenge.
"I think the whole track is quite challenging with how the corners are laid out - uphill, downhill, off-camber, camber. The whole track looks pretty exciting".
Like the rest of the drivers, Norris reckons it is going to be a tricky weekend in Madrid but he says it did not take him long to get his head around the new circuit in the simulator. He continues:
"It was okay, it took maybe three, four laps, I think, to know what to do in most places. Of course, then you figure out the smaller details. But I thought it would be harder, so it was actually okay, to be honest. It’s always different when you get on track and actually feel everything. The sense of speed is quite a big difference compared to a simulator".
For Norris' team mate Piastri, the Australian was also eager to see what the new Madring circuit had in store. However, he did concede it was going to be a demanding weekend ahead.
"Obviously there are quite a few high-speed corners, which on a street circuit is always... there are always just massive consequences with that. The banking as well, I think, will be a big challenge, and then also just the compromise of what you need from the car. I think there are a lot of different types of corners here, a lot of kerbs you seem to need to use. So I think getting the compromise of things as well is going to be tough".
Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson have rated Red Bull's chances at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, with the Madring set to host its inaugural Formula 1 event. The high-speed street circuit promises to offer drivers and teams a new challenge that could open the door for an unexpected result. Red Bull and Verstappen have yet to register a win this season, with the Dutchman suggesting that the perils of a street circuit, along with the unknown of a new venue, could potentially give him his best chance yet.
"I think the practice sessions are crucial, and hopefully we just get a good feeling with the car. I think if you have a good feeling with the car, you’re actually a bit more competitive, and hopefully that will put us into a place where we can fight again around a podium. I always try my best to try and win a race, at least this year, but for sure it’s not going to be easy to win a race. But we’ll see. Maybe, first race here, we can have a bit of chaos. You need to luck in maybe a little bit, but we keep trying. It probably is a car killer [circuit] from what I’ve seen so far. You just need to try and stay out of the wall, try and get the best possible feeling in the car. When you are confident in the car on a street circuit, it helps a lot. It’s difficult to say at the moment how everything is going to go. And, I mean, driver track or not, you still need a good car. That’s the most important thing".
Lawson, meanwhile, will continue to stand in for the injured Isack Hadjar having already raced for Red Bull in Zandvoort and Monza. The New Zealander missed out on points last weekend in Italy but believes he is adapting further to Red Bull's 2026 challenger, which will be even more crucial at a new venue.
"This track is quite different to what we've been racing on. It's obviously new for all of us so it's going to take some time to learn. For us as drivers, the teams as well with the car, I'm sure it's going to be challenging but the more time I spend in the car the more I'm going to naturally get a bit more comfortable. It's not my car and obviously in your own car you have many things that are very suited for you, and that's not something I can do in a couple of races with this car. More time I spend in it, more comfortable I get".
As the light at the end of the pit lane turns green at 1:30 p.m. local time, a flurry of cars heads out onto the 22-turn circuit for the first time in a bid to gather as much information as possible across the opening one-hour session. Sergio Perez is the first driver to encounter a problem, the Cadillac man requiring a new steering wheel, while both Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto remain in the garage for the first 15 minutes. Esteban Ocon reports that the grip is high, with lap times continually tumbling as drivers utilise the medium Pirelli tyre in the early running and attempt to avoid traffic that is rife around the 5.414km street circuit throughout. Drivers soon begin to exceed the limits, with Antonelli running wide at Turn 13, while both Audi drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg cut the Turn 5 chicane. By the halfway point, Hamilton heads the leaderboard with a 1m 34.620s, leaving him fractionally quicker than Leclerc, with Antonelli two tenths further back but having used the soft tyre. Russell aborts his first lap with the red-walled tyre after encountering traffic, with Liam Lawson using the same compound to jump up to fourth inside the final 30 minutes with his Red Bull. Russell is soon back up to speed, slotting into third behind the Ferrari drivers and ahead of Antonelli as the track continues to evolve and tyre management starts to become an issue, Max Verstappen having grained his medium tyres. There are problems for Yuki Tsunoda as his Racing Bulls machine is wheeled into the garage with 20 minutes remaining, the Japanese driver suffering an issue with his power steering that ends his session. By this stage most drivers are focused on single lap pace, Russell posting a 1m 34.145s before fractionally improving down to a 1m 34.077s which remains fastest at the chequered flag. In contrast, Leclerc is struggling to improve with the soft tyre, heading into the run-off zone at Turn 17, as Antonelli jumps up to second and less than three tenths behind Russell approaching the final 10 minutes. Leclerc finishes nearly five tenths behind Russell, as Hamilton on the medium tyre, Verstappen's Red Bull, Lando Norris (McLaren), Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), Oscar Piastri's McLaren, Hulkenberg and Lawson complete the top 10.
With a limited amount of time to learn the new circuit, all 22 drivers are eager to make the most of Free Practice and begin to push the limits - ideally whilst avoiding the daunting walls that line the Madring. Unfortunately for Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin confirms that he is forced to miss the beginning of the session due to a clutch issue he suffers following his practice starts in FP1. Haas’ Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman are the first to head out in the high temperatures, leading a long queue of their competitors before George Russell - who tops the times in FP1 - sets an early benchmark of 1m 36.011s. He is soon demoted down the timesheets as Ferrari continues its impressive showing on the medium tyres, with Leclerc claiming the top spot until the standings leader completes his first effort to go over a second clear. As is expected on a track with a freshly laid surface, the evolution is notable and Leclerc closes the gap to just 0.001s, ensuring that the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers occupy P1-P4 in the opening 15 minutes. Despite his impressive lap, his team is struggling in the final sector, where they are significantly down on the likes of Antonelli. But they aren’t the only ones facing issues - McLaren opts to change Lando Norris’ gearbox, restricting him to the garage, while Oscar Piastri complains about a lack of rear grip. Although the Australian manages to improve on the soft compound, his lap is eclipsed by Lindblad, the Racing Bulls driver having consistently impressed through the first sector to wind up just two tenths off Antonelli’s fastest time. But the lack of incidents can’t last forever, and sadly, it is Lindblad who is the first to be caught out. Coming into Turn 13, he loses the rear and crashes into the barriers to bring an early end to his day at the Madring. Once the subsequent red flag period concludes, Antonelli remains P1 thanks to his earlier rapid time, leaving him ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton on the timesheets. Lindblad similarly holds onto P4 from Russell, Max Verstappen and Piastri. Yuki Tsunoda is eighth for Racing Bulls, followed by Haas’ Ocon and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson.
George Russell shares his concerns around the big question mark that will impact the rest of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, with the Mercedes driver predicting that tyre degradation will play a significant role. After admitting that his team mate Kimi Antonelli, who leads the standings by 66 points, has done a better job this season, Russell goes on to top the times in the first hour of practice at the brand-new Madring. He then drops to P5 behind the Italian, the Ferrari pair and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad in FP2, and later offers his thoughts on getting to grips with the latest addition to the calendar.
"It is very fun driving the track for the first time. It’s always a great experience driving a new circuit. FP1 is a strong session. FP2 we make some set-up changes - it isn’t quite as good, so we’ll probably revert back on that. So far, so good. I think there’s a big question mark over the tyre degradation. In FP1 with the tyre degradation we all have, we think a six-stop race would probably be the fastest way. I don’t think anybody’s going to do a six-stop race on Sunday and I’m sure tyre deg will be better, but with that big long corner - La Monumental - it really hurts the tyres. That’s going to be a real challenge for everyone".
La Monumental is arguably the most striking feature of the Madring with its extreme banking and horseshoe shape, but FP1 and FP2 show that it can be punishing for both the drivers and their tyres. Mercedes Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord appears less concerned about regular tyre degradation, focusing instead on the loss of running that comes as a result of Lindblad’s crash on Friday afternoon.
"You could see some unusual tyre effects just because they’re going to be running so hot. You’ve got a lot of cornering sequences without a real chance for the tyres to have a breather around the lap. It’s not like it’s corner, long straight, corner - it’s corner after corner after corner. How the tyres cope with that is going to be decisive, so even though it’s a very smooth surface and wear may not be as high as we might expect, we might see some other thermal effects that could push you into more stops than the computers before might expect you to make. I think it was a very solid day and a good feeling. We’ve come out of Monza with a bit of a spring in our step and need to reset and then tick all the boxes on a busy Friday. It was good to see both drivers up there in both sessions. We didn’t really see the single lap play out in FP2 because of the crash, and then that curtailed the long runs so again, it leaves us with more unknowns than maybe we’d like as F1 teams going into the race on Sunday. That generally produces the unexpected and something exciting for the fans".
Charles Leclerc believes that Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend is going to be an exciting one, having got his first taste of the Madring on Friday. Ferrari proves to be Mercedes' closest challenger during the opening day of practice at Formula 1's newest venue, which provides plenty of challenges for teams and drivers. Leclerc finishes P3 and P2 in the two, one-hour sessions and is just one-tenth behind Free Practice 2 pacesetter Kimi Antonelli after a positive day behind the wheel.
"It has been a very interesting day. Obviously it is a completely new track for everyone. It is a very, very challenging track and I think for Qualifying, it is going to be an exciting one. Lots of work ahead of us to try and improve the car for tomorrow but I think the day goes quite well. I think we go through our programme, which is important. We do maximise the amount of laps we can do which is also one of the main targets for today, being on a new track. Looking forward to tomorrow to try and do something good in Qualifying".
Leclerc is generally strong on street circuits during his F1 career, but admits that he doesn't have a target in mind during Saturday's crucial Qualifying session, with overtaking likely to be difficult in Madrid.
"It is more about trying to maximise what we have and we will see at the end of Qualifying where that leaves us. I expect the Mercedes is quite strong but you never know so I’ll just focus on myself, trying to optimise everything we can on our car and hopefully we can do something really good tomorrow".
Team mate Lewis Hamilton also shows strong pace, finishing P4 and P3, but Ferrari team boss Fred Vassuer is wary of the team's prospects so early into the weekend. In particular, that the track's condition will only improve and move the goalposts that teams have calibrated to on Friday.
"I think we are far away of the lap time of Quali, the most important is to improve the competitiveness of the car and for the driver to understand the track also. I think there is a lot of topic about energy deployment and so, that means racing is open and everybody will improve a lot. We just have to be focused on ourselves. I think we are all in the same boat, that track evolution is huge from one session to the other one, but almost from one lap to the other one balance is changing a little bit".
McLaren confirm that a gearbox issue prevents Lando Norris from competing in Free Practice 2 ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, adding that it is a big setback for the reigning World Champion. Drivers and teams get their first taste of the Madring on Friday, with the new venue's part-street, part-purpose-built layout providing a challenge. Any running is crucial in order to gather data, but Norris' exploits are cut short after just two laps in FP2 before the Briton pulls his McLaren into the garage with a mechanical issue that is not fixed before the end of the session. Says Mark Temple, McLaren's Technical Director for Performance, after the session:
"Gearbox problem for Lando, that's obviously a big setback for him. Going into FP3 we'll be trying to do as much as we can to give him back track time. It is as expected, a very technical, tough track for the drivers, trying to find their way and learn the track. Deal with the very hot temperatures on the tyres. For sure track time for Lando will be very important tomorrow".
Norris is able to finish sixth in the opening hour of practice, nearly nine tenths behind George Russell's Mercedes before his problems later in the day. Team mate Oscar Piastri is able to complete a full day of running, finishing P8 and P7 across both sessions as the Australian looks to get on top of the new venue. A particular challenge is finding the right car balance with a compromised set-up for straights and high-speed corners, as well as managing tyre temperature and wear.
"I feel like we get a bit closer in FP2, which is good, but we're still lacking a bit of pace it seems. We'll try and improve, it's been an interesting day learning a new circuit. It's certainly tough to get on top of but it's been a day full of learning. Hopefully we can find a bit more tomorrow. Trying to extract the performance on a street circuit like this is pretty challenging. That's the biggest thing for us at the moment. Hopefully tomorrow we can make things a bit easier and find just a bit more consistency and a bit more ability to get that time out of the car".
Max Verstappen admits that Red Bull are still getting up to speed ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, as drivers and teams tackled the Madring for the first time. Friday provided the first running for teams and drivers at Formula 1's newest venue, with the high-speed street circuit offering a challenge across the day. Verstappen finished P5 and P6 across the two, one-hour sessions, but was closer to pacesetter Kimi Antonelli in the latter, as the Dutchman finished just four tenths behind.
"Not too bad. Just trying to find a little bit more pace over one lap. Trying to understand the tyres a little bit more in the long run. Just getting up to speed a bit more, lap after lap. There's always little things in a practice session you want to work and improve on. That's what we'll try to do for tomorrow and we'll see where we end up".
When asked how important a clean Free Practice 3 session would be on Saturday ahead of Qualifying, Verstappen add:
"It will always help if you have a clean one compared to a messy one, but we'll see if we can find a little bit more performance in the car".
Team mate Liam Lawson, still in place for the injured Isack Hadjar, finished both sessions in P10 as Red Bull tried to get on top of the circuit's bumps. Says Red Bull's Technical Director, Pierre Wache, who believes the team are still in contention at this early stage:
"Is more bumpy than what we thought, high speed corners, Turn 10, 11, 12. It is quite a challenge there for the ride. Energy management is tricky also. I'm not a driver but it's quite challenging. Was quite a smooth session. More I would like to be, like a normal Friday. Now we have to improve the car but not completely out is some positive, after we are not completely out of contention, we know that. Some traffic in [the] long run, but the long run was quite competitive to be honest. I think our tyre management, we are quite good".
Despite the need for teams and drivers to gather as much information as possible at the new venue ahead of a crucial Qualifying session later on Saturday, it takes until five minutes have elapsed before any cars venture out. The leading contenders wait even longer in order to get the most representative running possible, including Lando Norris despite missing almost the entirety of FP2 as the Briton's McLaren suffers a gearbox issue. The reigning World Champion aborts his first flying lap with the soft Pirelli tyre after cutting the chicane at Turn 5, while the Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc move to the top of the times. Home hero Carlos Sainz just avoids making head-on contact with the barrier at Turn 7, with Williams team mate Alex Albon having earlier glanced the wall on the exit of Turn 20 and breaking a rear track rod. Antonelli moves to the top of the times as the 20-minute mark is reached, the Mercedes driver posting a 1m 33.664s, before Leclerc lowers the benchmark down to a 1m 33.332s moments later. Hamilton is on course to usurp his team mate with his next effort, but the seven-time World Champion goes head-on into the barrier at the final corner, which brings out the red flag. The Ferrari driver attempts to recover back to the pits while dragging a broken front wing and a front-right puncture, but pulls off after being told to stop by the team multiple times. The session time is temporarily stopped for barrier repairs before resuming with just 15 minutes remaining, prompting a flurry of activity as drivers attempt to get up to speed over one lap. This includes Arvid Lindblad, who ventures out for the first time since his crash in FP2 as Racing Bulls rush to fix a problem on his newly-rebuilt car. Leclerc immediately improves on his best effort, becoming the first driver to dip below the 1m 33s barrier with a 1m 32.963s, with Antonelli's first attempt falling three tenths short from Oscar Piastri, while George Russell is half a second adrift in fourth. Norris moves to within one-tenth of Leclerc's leading time on just his third flying lap of the day and with minimal mileage under his belt, before Antonelli sets a 1m 32.797s to go top with five minutes remaining. It remains the fastest time as a second red flag is deployed in the final minute after Bearman crashes his Haas at high-speed through Turn 10, putting his team in a rush against time to be ready for Qualifying. It means Antonelli is just over one-tenth clear of Leclerc, with Piastri, Norris, Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Russell (Mercedes), Liam Lawson's Red Bull, Audi's Nico Hulkenberg, Hamilton and the second Audi of Gabriel Bortoleto completing the top 10.
Even after three practice sessions at the Madring, plenty of unknowns remain heading into Qualifying, especially as three red flags over FP2 and FP3 - caused respectively by crashes for Lindblad, Hamilton and Bearman - disrupt the running. The track action so far also demonstrates that traffic can create a significant obstacle in Qualifying, with the drivers set to jostle for the best position throughout Q1. However, someone who doesn’t have to deal with that is Bearman, as Haas confirms that the damage sustained to his VF-26 earlier in the day is too great to fix before Qualifying. With just 18 minutes on the clock - and the possibility of further incidents - the majority opt to get their banker laps in early on, and the Cadillac pair lead a long queue of cars onto the circuit when the light at the end of the pit lane turns green. Antonelli is the first of the frontrunners to tick that goal off, posting a time of 1m 33.566s on the soft compound to shoot into P1 ahead of Red Bull’s Verstappen, who goes for the alternative option of medium tyres and finds himself 0.178s down. Building on their Free Practice performance, Audi continues to impress as Bortoleto settles into P3 on his opening run, which soon becomes P5 when Norris completes his lap and Lawson goes even faster to top the timesheets. It looks like Antonelli will come close to reclaiming the position on his second effort, but the Italian locks up and is forced to bail out in order to avoid the barrier. While Verstappen, Leclerc and Hamilton are the next to improve, no one can defeat Lawson’s benchmark. Meanwhile, there is a shaky moment for Mercedes’ Russell as he kisses the barrier in a mirror image of the error that damages Albon’s suspension in FP3, with the Briton instructing his team to check for any similar consequences. His lap is nevertheless enough for P7, putting him in a strong spot to make Q2. Those who aren’t looking as safe leading into the final minutes are home favourite Alonso, the aforementioned Williams driver, Cadillac’s Perez and Bottas, and Bearman and Stroll, neither of whom appears in the session. While Albon manages to escape the elimination zone and get ahead of his team mate, his P16-worthy lap means that both Spaniards are knocked out of the first stage of Qualifying in their home event, much to the displeasure of their supporters. Sainz is also noted for impeding Bottas, which will be investigated later in the day.
Unhappy with his original run, Russell goes again and is successful in setting the fastest time yet - a 1m 33.211s - to head Antonelli, followed by the Red Bull pair of Lawson and Verstappen. The remaining 16 contenders take a few minutes to reset before returning to the circuit for Q2, and it is once again Antonelli who delivers the initial time to beat with a time of 1m 32.603s. But his hold on P1 doesn’t last for long as Red Bull shows that their early pace isn’t a one-off, with Verstappen edging out the standings leader by 0.046s while Lawson winds up fourth, keeping the team in the mix for a front row start as long as they progress to Q3. As the first flurry of laps comes to an end, the only drivers who haven’t set a lap are Alpine’s Gasly and Colapinto - the latter only just holds onto a snap around La Monumental, which causes him to abandon the attempt and head back to the pits. The pair finally emerge for the last four minutes to contend for a spot in the final segment of Qualifying, with many teams predicting that their starting position will be invaluable around the tight, twisty Madring. Bortoleto, Tsunoda, Ocon and Albon join them in the drop zone at this stage. After a series of improvements, including a notable one that sees Colapinto snatch P7, both Audis fail to make Q3, along with Ocon, a sad Gasly who complains about a lack of grip, Tsunoda and Albon. They miss out to Lindblad and Piastri, who both narrowly squeeze into the top 10 with identical lap times while Verstappen clings onto P1. With a short break out of the way, it is time for the big one. Everyone knows that the Madring has plenty of bite, so it is no surprise that they are eager to fly from the get-go just in case a second lap isn’t possible. Antonelli’s opening effort is enough for P1 until Hamilton crosses the line, well and truly bouncing back from his FP3 error to claim provisional pole with a blistering 1m 32.079s lap to get ahead of both Mercedes drivers. Maintaining his role as the first man to finish the lap, Antonelli soars back into first place and Hamilton is unable to improve a second time, but few anticipate what ends up being a stunning lap by Norris that earns the Briton his third pole position of the season. He refers to it as one of my best as he outpaces the Italian by just 0.011s, with Verstappen also finding time late on to secure P3 ahead of Hamilton and Leclerc. Russell’s title challenge takes yet another blow as he finishes P6 from Piastri, Lawson, and the ‘best of the rest’ representatives Colapinto and Lindblad.
Lando Norris admitted that he was shocked by his pole position in Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, with the Briton hailing the performance as one of the best laps I’ve done ever in your career. The start of the weekend had not gone entirely smoothly for Norris, the World Champion having missed out on running during Friday’s second practice session following a gearbox issue on his car. Things went better on Saturday, however, culminating in a surge to pole in Q3 with a lap time of 1m 31.824s, which put Norris 0.011s clear of championship leader Kimi Antonelli - a showing that even the man himself was not expecting.
"I’m shocked. I’m a little bit surprised to be here now, but my god it was probably one of the best laps I’ve done ever in my career. Very, very happy, very proud, very happy for the team. It was just one of those laps where everything came together. I had a good idea of what I wanted to do, but it was whether my brain let me do it on the last lap and everything pretty much worked perfectly. I’m just very happy - one of those laps where you look at the lap time at the end and you’re like: Oh, shit that was pretty good".
Reflecting on the feeling of putting such a lap in around the new Madring circuit, Norris explain:
"The adrenaline was high on the last lap. It’s just one where you’ve got to relax, just let it all flow. It’s easy to get tense around here, and there are a lot of walls that come at you pretty quickly. Honestly I’ve been feeling pretty confident and the car was feeling good, so I felt good out there. I just wasn’t doing what I wanted - I wasn’t quite relaxed, and on the last lap just took a good breath and everything kind of came together. It was pretty much perfect, bar the last corner - I thought I was in the wall, and I thought the boys were going to have to repair the car tonight. It could have been a little bit better, but nonetheless it was one of the best laps I’ve done. Just everything that I wanted to achieve I achieved, and that’s one of moments where you’re kind of in that flow state and it puts a big smile on my face, so I’m happy".
When asked for his thoughts on Sunday’s race, Norris - who will line up ahead of Antonelli and Max Verstappen - jokes:
"I don't know, I'm still thinking about my lap. I've given myself the best chance for tomorrow. I don't think it's going to be the easiest track to overtake, but it's going to be possible and I've got two pretty quick, pretty good drivers behind me. I'm excited - the first race here in Madrid, it's been a pleasure so far. A lot of things can happen. It's a long race, a difficult track, so looking forward to the whole thing".
Lewis Hamilton believes himself and Ferrari have got to work harder in order to increase performance, having missed out on pole position for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix. The Briton headed into Qualifying on the back foot after crashing head-on into the barrier at the final corner in Free Practice 3, eventually stopping his damaged car after calls from the team to pull over on the way back to the pits. The missed track time earlier on Saturday didn't seem to hamper the seven-time World Champion, though, and Hamilton sat on provisional pole position after the first flying laps in the pivotal Q3 session. But Hamilton slipped down to fourth in the final reckoning despite improving his time and finishing less than two tenths behind polesitter, Lando Norris.
"The only thing to say about FP3 is nothing. Qualifying was pretty decent. Generally been feeling pretty decent. It takes everything for us to be able to compete with the two powerhouse motors Mercedes and McLaren ahead. They just seem to be able to turn the engine up or something when we get to Qualifying which we can't match. We've got to work harder".
Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc finished directly behind Hamilton and was also within two tenths of Norris' top time, with the Monegasque believing he over-drove in the final segment of Qualifying.
"I think the lap was pretty good in Q3, it's a tricky Qualifying where you've got to go fully committed into Q3 and I did that. But I felt like I maybe went over the limit a little in some corners and lost a little bit on top of maybe losing down the straights a bit because of running the older spec engine. But at the end, that's on me. I think we did a good job today and we maximised our potential".
Kimi Antonelli has admitted that he was pleased with his effort in Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying before McLaren’s Lando Norris pipped him to pole position, with the Mercedes driver concluding that it was a very intense session at the Madring. Fresh from his historic victory at the Italian Grand Prix, it looked as though Antonelli would be in front once again as he mingled around the top of the timesheets throughout Qualifying and consistently improved his laps. His last lap in Q3 was enough to deny Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton pole, but in the final seconds, Norris completed what he labelled one of the best lap of his career to snatch P1 by margin of 0.011s over the 20-year-old. Speaking straight afterwards, Antonelli said of his attempt:
"I thought it was a good lap, but then this guy just snatched it away, so a good job to them. On my side, a very intense Qualifying - difficult to get the balance right with the track being so hot, but yeah, the lap was pretty clean. Obviously it's not easy to put the things together on a track like this, which is quite tricky, but overall I think we did a good job and now we'll try to see what we can do tomorrow".
The Italian will be hoping to find a way past Norris and add an eighth win to his tally in the Spanish Grand Prix, but many teams have predicted that overtaking will be a significant challenge due to the circuit’s complex layout and lack of long straights. A strong result would provide a further boost to Antonelli’s title ambitions - he currently holds a 66-poit advantage over his nearest rival and team mate George Russell, who could only manage P6 in Qualifying. Asked what his plan is for the race, Antonelli replies:
"Hopefully a good start. Hopefully we can get the jump. If the opportunity comes to win the race, we’ll try to take it. Otherwise, we’ll just try to do our best race and then we’ll see what happens".
George Russell has identified overheating tyres as the main reason his pace dropped off in Qualifying at the Madring, where he fell out of pole position contention and wound up P6. The Briton appeared to get to grips with the new circuit faster than most as he topped the times in the opening practice hour, but he lost out to his competitors as the sessions went on and placed P5 and P6 in FP2 and FP3 respectively. He nevertheless recovered some performance heading into the all-important Qualifying, setting the fastest lap in Q1 despite sharing concerns after he brushed the wall on his first effort. While the top-10 shootout offered Russell the chance to claim his fifth pole of the season, he was unable to match the likes of Lando Norris and Kii Antonelli and ultimately wound up sixth - his lowest Qualifying result since the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"I was in the mix to fight for pole and on that last lap of Q3, I just really pushed the limit. I was about three tenths up and then lost it all towards the end of the lap with the tyres overheating. That was quite a shame. It was really close between everyone out there and here we are".
Russell previously delivered a frank verdict of his title chances heading into this weekend, accepting that Antonelli had done a better job across the season to date and deserves his current lead of 66 points in the Driver's Championship. Although anything could happen in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, Russell acknowledged that his continued tyre issues will hold him back unless Mercedes can find a solution overnight. He add:
"I jumped in the car and felt very comfortable here, and confident. As the track has got faster, I’ve been struggling to get the most out of the tyres. I’ve just been sliding rather than going round the corners faster, and I need to understand why that is".
Max Verstappen has set out the areas that Red Bull will be focusing on during Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, with the Dutchman left feeling positive about his P3 result in Qualifying. Verstappen had finished no higher than fifth across all three practice sessions held at the Madring circuit, having admitted at the end of Friday that he and the team were still getting up to speed with each lap. The four-time World Champion went fastest during Q2 of Qualifying, however, and later secured third place in Q3, beaten only by polesitter Lando Norris and championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Quizzed on how he felt about the result afterwards - and if it was better than he had expected - Verstappen responds:
"Yeah, the car was honestly in a quite decent window, and for us I think to be in the top three in Qualifying is good. We can be happy with that. I think still there's room for improvement - there can be some improvements made, especially in the final sector. That's where we really were struggling probably a little bit too much with our deployment strategy. So that's things to learn for in the future, but for us to be in the top three is good".
Looking ahead to Sunday’s Grand Prix - the first Formula 1 race to be held at the Madring - Verstappen explained that tyre management will be a key focus for the event.
"It could be a long race, tough on tyres, so we'll be really about managing that and trying to really extract the most out of it and see what we can do".
The Madring has already delivered some of the drama many have come to expect with the debut of a new circuit - Lindblad, Hamilton and Bearman endure shunts across FP2 and FP3, although all bar the Haas man are able to partake in Qualifying. Hamilton manages to bounce back and claim provisional pole but is quickly outpaced by Antonelli, before McLaren’s Norris completes what he thinks is one of the best laps of his career to snatch the top spot in style. Verstappen takes a respectable third for Red Bull to lead both Ferrari drivers and the second Mercedes of Russell, who admits after Qualifying that problems with overheating tyres have limited his performance over the weekend. He isn’t the only one concerned about the Pirelli rubber, as previous sessions have shown that graining and thermal degradation can play a significant role in Sunday’s Grand Prix. As the race start approaches at 3:00 p.m. local time, Haas confirms that Bearman will start from the pit lane with a new chassis and power unit elements installed following his crash. Additionally, Stroll and Sainz have grid penalties imposed after Aston Martin fits engine components to the Canadian’s car to relegate him to P21, just behind Sainz. The stewards conclude that the Williams driver has impeded Cadillac’s Bottas in Q1, dropping him from P17 to P20. It is revealed that the teams have opted for a wide range of tyre strategies - the front-row starters are on the medium compound, as are Colapinto and Lindblad at the tail end of the top 10. Verstappen and Hamilton go for the bold option of softs in the hope of making up positions on the opening lap, while Leclerc, Russell, Piastri and Lawson focus on the long game with the white-walled hard tyres. They are joined by Bortoleto, Gasly, Tsunoda, Alonso, Bottas, Sainz, Stroll and Bearman, whereas Ocon, Albon and Perez choose the mediums. Audi’s Hulkenberg is the only other driver on softs, seemingly targeting an immediate improvement into the points. As the five red lights go out for the Madring’s inaugural Grand Prix, polesitter Norris comes under instant pressure from Antonelli, who takes the inside line but is forced to bail out and cut the first chicane. That allows the McLaren driver to just about cling onto the lead while Antonelli sticks close by. As another attack follows, the Italian makes a near-identical error and goes off track once again, giving Verstappen the opportunity to execute a clean overtake at the Bunker to surge into P2. However,
Hamilton isn’t happy with how the Red Bull driver stays ahead at the first corner, insisting that the position needs to be given back. Verstappen, almost simultaneously, reports that Hamilton almost shunts into me and is out of control, but his complaints don’t have the intended effect. His race engineer instructs him to give the spot to Hamilton in order to avoid a possible penalty, and despite a small argument from the Dutchman’s side, he obeys the order and subsequently lets both Antonelli and the Briton through. To Hamilton’s frustration, the switch doesn’t last for long amid his own struggles with the brakes, and he drops back behind Verstappen and his Ferrari team mate Leclerc. The issue rapidly worsens and he can only watch as his rivals charge past, with the Scuderia deciding to retire the car just seven laps in. With Hamilton out of contention, Norris steadily builds his lead to 4.5s over Antonelli, aided by the Italian suffering an off-track moment that costs him a chunk of time. The closest battle at this stage is between Colapinto and Lawson for P6, both drivers having fought past McLaren’s Piastri when the Australian makes contact with Russell on the opening lap. Elsewhere, Russell has clearly spent some time revising his tyre management overnight, suggesting to the team that they can try an alternative strategy to get past Leclerc, who is running in P4 just ahead of the Briton. A check-in on the grid’s two Spaniards shows that their home crowd has little to celebrate - not only is a top-10 finish a distant prospect, but they also come to blows at Turn 5, with Alonso adamant that Sainz squeezes him into the wall. The stewards agree with his view, later handing the Williams driver a five-second penalty for the collision. Meanwhile, Norris’ advantage at the front continues to increase, and he receives further encouragement when the team informs him that Antonelli’s medium tyres aren’t coping with the high-grip asphalt as well as his, implying that he might try to extend his opening stint. That approach soon falls apart when Aston Martin’s Stroll comes to a halt at Turn 20, marking the second retirement of the day caused by brake problems. The Virtual Safety Car is deployed, handing Mercedes and Red Bull the perfect opportunity to call Antonelli, Russell and Verstappen into the pits.
The mandatory reduced speeds only last as long as it takes to bring Stroll’s car behind the barrier, meaning that Norris runs out of time to take advantage and only stops once normal racing conditions resume. Adding insult to injury, it is an agonisingly slow tyre change that keeps him stationary for 7s and he eventually emerges in P5 behind Leclerc - who hasn’t pitted - Antonelli, Verstappen and Russell. With the sole Ferrari driver now leading, Antonelli initially closes the gap before falling further back, stating that the steering wheel feels weird. Mercedes can’t find any reason why in their data, but do warn him that any further track limit violations could result in a time penalty. Over half the race distance down, Norris is giving it his all to recover from the disastrous timing of the Virtual Safety Car as he battles to get past Russell, which is made much easier when the latter is brought in for a second stop. Ferrari are on a considerably different strategy as they continue to keep Leclerc out, hanging their hopes of a podium finish on the chance of a Safety Car or red flag. Antonelli consistently remains around 2s adrift and leads Verstappen and Norris, who spend multiple laps searching for a way past the Dutchman. Further back, a thrilling contest occurs between eighth-placed Bortoleto, Colapinto, Piastri in the second McLaren, who has been knocked back early on with a damaged front wing, and Racing Bulls’ Lindblad. Battling for the final few spots in the top 10, the group nearly comes together as the race enters the last 10 laps, but a similar fight is also developing at the front between Antonelli, Verstappen and Norris. Leclerc is called into the pits at the end of Lap 48, releasing the trio to decide who will claim the honour of winning the Spanish Grand Prix.
That is the ideal time for Antonelli to pick up the pace as he leaves Verstappen in the clutches of Norris, who has the best opportunity to improve to P2 when the Dutchman cuts Turn 5. The reigning World Champion draws alongside but can’t make a move stick, remaining in third place as the chequered flag falls. Antonelli wins with a comfortable margin of 4.2s over his nearest rivals, with Leclerc and Russell much further behind in P4 and P5 respectively. Lawson finishes a respectable sixth in his third weekend substituting Isack Hadjar at Red Bull, leading Colapinto, Piastri, Lindblad and Hulkenberg. Kimi Antonelli shares his belief that Lando Norris deserves to win the Spanish Grand Prix after the reigning World Champion is forced to settle for third - a poorly-timed Virtual Safety Car impacting his chances of victory. Norris takes the challenges of the brand-new Madring in his stride as he executes a superb lap to pip Antonelli to pole position, and despite the Italian’s best efforts, he can’t find a way past in the opening stint. He cuts two corners in his attempted overtakes and gradually settles into second place behind Norris, who builds a confident advantage at the front of the field before disaster strikes for McLaren’s strategy. A Virtual Safety Car is deployed as Lance Stroll comes to a halt with brake issues, handing Mercedes the opportunity to change Antonelli’s tyres without losing as much time as they would in normal conditions. But Norris has already passed the pit entry when the race is neutralised, and by the time he eventually enters for his stop, the VSC period has ended, dropping him from the lead to P5. Although the Briton manages to recover back to the podium, Antonelli doesn’t feel able to fully celebrate his win due to Norris’ misfortune, as he explains:
"It was a very difficult race, not straightforward at all, especially trying to manage tyres. It’s good to win, but it doesn’t feel as good because I think Lando today deserves to win. But overall, you know, we’ll take it. Other than that, it’s a very strong race. I think especially on the hard [tyres] at the end we have really good pace, and now we’re going to keep pushing".
The 20-year-old also holds off Max Verstappen to secure his eighth Grand Prix triumph of the season, which opens up his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to a commanding 81 points over team mate George Russell. With nine rounds to go, it’s looking increasingly likely that Antonelli could be crowned the sport's youngest-ever World Champion, but he is adamant that the prospect isn’t on his mind. Asked if he’s able to start thinking about the title, he replies:
"That’s exactly what I don’t want to do. I want to keep pushing race by race, you know, keep delivering and keep enjoying all the way, and then trying to do my best every race, and then we’ll see where we end up at the end of the year".
Lando Norris believes he deserves victory in the Spanish Grand Prix, as an ill-timed Virtual Safety Car contributes to the McLaren driver finishing only third at the chequered flag. The reigning World Champion starts on pole for Formula 1's first race at the Madring and, after rebuffing fellow front-row starter Kimi Antonelli at Turn 1, he builds up a comfortable lead in the opening stages. But Lance Stroll finding the run-off area at Turn 20 prompts a Virtual Safety Car on Lap 15, just as Norris has passed the pit lane entrance, while Antonelli and Max Verstappen pit behind. By the time Norris has completed another lap the VSC ends as he heads into the pit lane, where a slow stop means the Briton loses further time and rejoins down in P5. It all culminates in Norris challenging Verstappen in the closing laps but falling short of victory to Antonelli by just five seconds.
"The VSC comes out after I am already round the last corner. The others are very fortunate today or I am unfortunate, whichever way round you want to look at it. Of course, I believe I deserve it today. We do a very good job, I feel like I do everything right this weekend so for it to be lost like today is just pretty crappy. It's F1, the race should be won by the best performance and good strategy, maybe going long, things like that. Today is just a rule that benefits some people a lot more than other people. I know that's racing, so I can't be too against it. If it is the other way round of course it suits me, but when I feel like I've driven a perfect weekend and I do such a good job yesterday, and I feel like I do a great job today, it hurts. Nothing I can do".
After a sluggish start under the new-for-2026 regulations, McLaren and Norris have hit their stride this season, with the reigning world champions having taken back-to-back wins in Hungary and Holland, as well as three pole positions from the last four races. Team Principal Zak Brown has suggested that the title is still possible ahead of the race in Madrid, but the gap now stands at 106 points to Antonelli in the drivers' standings with nine Grands Prix remaining.
"It's only positives this weekend. Apart from I don't think we are quick enough all weekend until today. I think today we are the best. As you've seen quite often on Sundays, we take a good step. On Saturdays we're just not where we need to be. We need to understand more what we can do on Saturday. I still don't think we have the car that's in a perfect enough condition to fight consistently against the others on Saturday. But it seems like on Sunday, the way I drive, the way I can look after the tyres and get lap time out of it, it's giving me a lot of opportunities and I can do a better job than the others. That's what's frustrating, there's only positives I can take away from this weekend, there's still things we can work on but we're just very unlucky".
Max Verstappen has offered his verdict on the near-miss with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap of the Spanish Grand Prix, which saw the Dutchman begrudgingly let his rival past after driving off track. Just as Hamilton got ahead when the lights went out at the Madring, Verstappen cut the first turn and held onto his starting position of P3, provoking calls from the Briton to give the position back. The Red Bull driver was adamant that Hamilton almost shunted into me and tried to resist instructions from the team to avoid a potential penalty, especially as he had also succeeded in passing Kimi Antonelli to take P2. He soon gave in and allowed both Antonelli and Hamilton through, but quickly returned to the top three as Hamilton began to struggle with his brakes.
"It’s just a bit the nature of the track. When you have that track layout with so much tarmac, people of course risk [going] for a move, and I saw what happened - Lewis clipped the kerb so he was going to run wide. I think if I would’ve stayed on the track, you touch and there’s a big risk of damage. I decided to drive next to the track, and then of course the team told me to give the position back, which I did. After that, I just tried to do my race".
He was able to make the most of a Virtual Safety Car and limit the positions lost during his pit stop - something that McLaren’s Lando Norris couldn’t do due to the unfortunate timing, resulting in his eventual result of P3 while Verstappen improved to P2. Although the four-time World Champion conceded that he didn’t have the performance to match either Norris or race winner Antonelli on his way to claiming his sixth podium of the season, he was satisfied with the weekend as a whole.
"Looking at the race pace, I think it’s a great result. Of course, we know that Lando got unlucky with that VSC, so for us I think P2 is an incredible result because you could see how much Lando was catching me. I think it was quite clear that Lando and Kimi were a lot faster. Once everyone was a little bit clear, it was again the same thing where Kimi was a bit faster than me, Lando was faster than all of us, but I could keep him quite easily behind me".
Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari did the right thing with their strategy decisions during the Spanish Grand Prix, as the Monegasque driver was left out front for much of the race. Leclerc led 32 of the 57 laps during Formula 1's first visit to the Madring, with Ferrari hopeful that a late-race Safety Car might give their driver a shot at the podium. But with none forthcoming and George Russell closing to within Leclerc's pit window, Ferrari made the call to pit him on Lap 48 as Leclerc eventually reached the chequered flag in P4.
"I think we did the right thing honestly. If I had to do the race again I would re-do exactly the same thing in terms of strategy. Starting on the soft and doing a soft-hard would have brought me to P4 anyway. Doing a hard-soft, I was just hoping for a Safety Car at the right moment for us at the end, but that never really happened. A bit of a shame but at the end we were relying on a bit of the luck and we didn't have it".
Sunday's Grands Prix proved to be a tough outing for Ferrari, as Lewis Hamilton retired as early as Lap 7 with a brake problem. Hamilton and Leclerc started P4 and P5 respectively after qualifying less than two tenths behind polesitter Lando Norris, but having lacked the outright pace to ultimately start any higher. Leclerc believes that poor Qualifying performances are putting the Scuderia Ferrari on the back foot when it comes to Sunday, especially at tracks such as the Hungaroring, Zandvoort and Madring where overtaking is difficult.
"I feel like we are losing the results we want on the Sunday because of a lack of performance on the Saturday. This is where we should focus. We need to do a step on the Saturday, especially in Qualifying as we seem to be on the back foot compared to our competitors. Then in the race we are strong but not enough to overtake on track".
George Russell appeared to rule himself out of the fight for the Drivers' Championship after Kimi Antonelli claimed his eighth win of the 2026 season in Madrid. The Briton fell short of his team mate's result again, finishing in P5 in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, as the result leaves him 81 points behind in the standings. After a strong start to the Spanish Grand Prix weekend for the Briton, who topped the first practice session, that was as good as it got as he went on to qualify in P6 and was left questioning his pit stop strategy as Sunday's race unfolded. After coming home in fifth at the Madring, as his team mate backed up last weekend's heroic home win in Monza with another, Russell appeared to rule himself out of being in contention for this year's title amid Antonelli's form.
"We’re obviously in a great place to win the constructors'. Realistically, I’m not in the fight for the drivers’, and that just allows me to focus race by race and try to get some good results".
Before the weekend began, the Briton had remarked that Antonelli had done a better job but had insinuated he was still in the title fight, though he acknowledged he would need elements of luck to claw back the deficit. However, that luck didn't materialise during Sunday's Grand Prix as Mercedes opted to pit Russell twice - firstly for a new set of mediums during the Virtual Safety Car and then again onto the hard tyre - when the majority of other teams went for a one-stop strategy. On the radio Russell asked his Race Engineer Marcus Dudley why they had decided to pit, saying he could have held off Lando Norris behind him. But afterwards, the Briton appeared to have his answers to the strategy call.
"In the moment I was questioning, but the hard tyre was the superior tyre. Maybe I could have stayed out with Leclerc, but I would have still finished behind him. Maybe I could have not pitted onto the hard again at the end. But everything I would have done brought us back to the same position, purely because you can’t overtake on this track, so that’s a shame".
Once the favourite to come out on top this season, Russell now heads to Baku with only two Grand Prix wins under his belt in 2026. He is still in second position in the Drivers' Championship but with seemingly a different mindset that, whilst he is no longer challenging for the individual title, he's keen to make sure the team take home the Constructors' Championship this year.
"It has been a more positive couple of races, even though the result was far from great today. But it’s kind of the story of the season. I just need to focus on the performance, keep trying to help the team. You know, we’re obviously in a great place to win the Constructors'".
Lewis Hamilton believes that Ferrari has the car to fight for a win in the Spanish Grand Prix, after the seven-time World Champion suffers an early retirement with brake problems. The Briton starts fourth for Sunday's 57-lap race at Formula 1's newest venue, the Madring, and makes a strong start on the soft Pirelli tyre. Hamilton initially moves ahead of Max Verstappen's Red Bull on the run to Turn 1 and briefly looks to overtake front row starters Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli before backing out. Having been handed third place back after Verstappen cuts the first corner, Hamilton starts to encounter braking issues in the opening laps and reports over the radio that he glances the wall. Hamilton continues to lose positions over the following laps and runs deep into the Turn 20 run-off area, rejoining the circuit before pulling into the pits and retiring after just seven laps.
"It is already basically before that. Braking for Turn 5 I hit the brake, the car starts stopping and then the pedal takes a step and all of a sudden the car doesn't de-accelerate as fast as normal. I end up carrying a lot of speed in and just brush the barrier. After that the pedal comes back and then a few corners later, the pedal goes long. I don't really know where that's come from".
Hamilton challenges for pole position on Saturday, while in Sunday's race team mate Charles Leclerc leads the most laps as Ferrari tries to keep the Monegasque driver out in the hope of a late Safety Car before finishing fourth.
"We've had a pretty decent car, a good car this weekend and I think we will continue to try and improve it and I think we have better results coming in the future. I think the team’s done an amazing job, so I'm sad for them today that they couldn't get max points. I think we have the car to fight for a win today, and unfortunately it just doesn't work out".
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has explained why McLaren opted to pit Lando Norris for fresh tyres just as the Virtual Safety Car period came to an end, admitting that there was no option to retain the lead of the Spanish Grand Prix. With overtaking set to be a challenge at the Madring, Norris had already put himself in a strong position to chase down a potential third victory of the season as he topped Qualifying with a memorable last-gasp effort. The Briton then succeeded in holding off Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap and gradually eked out a confident advantage over his rivals, managing his tyres until the Virtual Safety Car was deployed to recover Lance Stroll’s stricken Aston Martin. While Antonelli and Max Verstappen could take advantage and box under the slowed racing conditions, Norris missed out on the opportunity and only headed into the pits as the VSC ended, where he suffered a 7s stop that dropped him to P5. Despite his driver’s recovery to P3, Stella couldn’t hide the team’s frustration, as he says:
"Starting from pole position, leading the race and having incredible pace… this would’ve been a race won by many seconds, and we ended up in third position. The reality is that in racing, there are elements that you can control and some that you cannot control. The timing of the Virtual Safety Car was a couple of seconds too late - Lando had already passed the pit entry - and then he was a few seconds too early because then it was ending once he came in to pit".
Asked to elaborate on the reasoning behind the call, Stella says:
"The logic is that if you stay out, you stay out with used mediums that are already grained, and it means that at some stage you will pit behind the people that have already pitted on the hard tyres, so it’s going to be a similar race to Leclerc. We would actually have pitted even earlier because the medium would finish earlier, so there was no option really to retain the lead. We needed to accept that the timing was incredibly unfortunate and, like I said, it’s a positive race overall. The elements that we could not control made a difference but those that we could control make us very optimistic for the future".
McLaren have made steady gains throughout the season that culminated in Norris’ commanding victories in Hungary and the Netherlands, and this weekend further demonstrated their progress. Max Verstappen, who only just kept him behind on the closing laps at the Madring, stated that the reigning World Champion was faster than all of us, while Antonelli believed that Norris deserved to win. Stella concludes:
"Just very unlucky, but I want to think that the positive message of a McLaren that was so competitive at a very different circuit layout to Zandvoort and Hungary is very encouraging for the future. We take it on the chin. Today we were too fast to win the race because had we been a little slower, we would’ve made it to the pits! We have a smile on our faces, we look forward to the rest of the season".