Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time in a chaotic third practice session (FP3) for the Madrid Grand Prix, which was interrupted by three red flags, crashes, and a curfew violation involving the Aston Martin team. The session, held on the streets of Madrid, barely resembled a normal practice session with incidents unfolding from the start.
Before the session began, Aston Martin had breached curfew rules by working overnight to fix a battery issue on Lance Stroll's car. As a result, Stroll faces a grid penalty for new power unit components. Meanwhile, Racing Bulls were still installing a new chassis for Arvid Lindblad after his FP2 crash on Friday, and Lindblad was not even ready when the session went green.
The session eventually got underway, but incidents quickly followed. Carlos Sainz clipped the barriers at Turn 7 with his front wing, while Stroll locked up and ran off track. The major incident came when Lewis Hamilton speared into the final-corner barrier with under an hour left. His Ferrari's front wing was torn off and a tyre was punctured. Race control immediately red-flagged the session, despite typically waving yellow flags. Hamilton initially protested the order to stop his car but eventually limped his damaged car back to the pits. This incident will be reviewed by race control.
The second red flag came shortly after the session resumed. Alex Albon hit the wall and damaged a track rod on his Williams. Team principal James Vowles stated that the incident was not big but required a component change. He also noted that the delay would make qualifying more interesting. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen did not set a time as his Red Bull remained in the garage when the second red flag was waved. Race control decided to end the session early with 15 minutes remaining, which benefited the Racing Bulls team as they needed extra time to prepare Lindblad's car.
The third red flag came when Oliver Bearman crashed, bringing the session to an end. As of this report, further details on the cause of the incident are not available. With this result, Antonelli was fastest, followed by other drivers who managed to set times before the session was halted. The chaotic FP3 session will certainly affect team strategies ahead of qualifying and the race.
The current standings show that Antonelli continues to impress in his debut season. Meanwhile, Hamilton, who crashed, must quickly repair his car for qualifying. Verstappen, who did not set a time, also needs to work hard to secure a good grid position. The competition at the Madrid Grand Prix is heating up with the various incidents that occurred.
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli fastest in chaotic FP3 at Madrid GP as Lewis Hamilton crashes heavily. Session delayed, Bearman also crashes, qualifying in doubt.
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