MADRID, Spain — Kimi Antonelli ended Friday’s running at the Spanish Grand Prix as the fastest driver on track during practice for Sunday’s race at the Madring Circuit.
It is the first grand prix at the new circuit.
Antonelli drove his Mercedes to a best lap of 1 minute and 33.662 seconds and his time held up, putting the Italian racer ahead of the Ferrari’s handled by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
With a limited amount of time to learn the circuit, all 22 drivers were 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 confirmed that he would be forced to miss the beginning of the session due to a clutch issue he suffered following his practice starts in FP1.
Arvid Lindblad was fourth for the Racing Bulls with Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate, George Russell, fifth.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen took the sixth spot for Red Bull.
Oscar Piastri was seventh for McLaren, while his teammate, world champion Lando Norris, did not make any laps in the final practice because of a gearbox issue.
