11:31
Bad news for Lindblad. After his crash yesterday, his chassis needed to be replaced, and the repairs are ongoing. The team didn't break the curfew, but it is racing against time to get the Briton out in this session.
Sainz at the Madring
© XPB Images
LIVE
F1 Madrid LIVE: Spanish GP FP3 and qualifying updates
Live coverage of Saturday at the F1 Spanish Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Antonelli fastest in FP2
- One red flag only on Friday
- Traffic a major issue
The 14th round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Madring becomes F1's newest grand prix venue as it replaces Barcelona as the home of the Spanish Grand Prix. The street track layout features 22 turns packed into a 5.414km distance, with the banked Turn 12 the focal point.
In the lead-up to the weekend, drivers have commented on an expectation of red flags, with many in the lower reaches keen to take advantage of any opportunities that may present themselves.
However, Friday saw only one stoppage, as Arvid Lindblad lost control of his Racing Bulls car at Turn 13 in the second practice session.
Kimi Antonelli arrives at Madrid with an increased 66-point lead in the drivers' championship after taking victory in Monza from 19th place on the grid. This leaves team-mate and primary championship rival George Russell needing to claw back some of the margin this weekend, meaning he may be forced to take some uncomfortable risks.
Mercedes and Ferrari appeared to be the teams with the greatest pace, with McLaren, Red Bull, and Lindblad battling it out behind.
2026 Spanish Grand Prix Saturday schedule
FP3 11:30am BST - 12:30pm BST
Qualifying: 3:00pm BST - 4:00pm BST
12 Sep 2026
11:30
Green light!
The green light shows and FP3 is underway, but no driver has taken to the track immediately.
11:26
The music has played, and we're ready to get going with final practice! At least it can't be as bad as that F3 race!
11:22
Less than 10 minutes before the lights go green for FP3. Will we get a second red flag of the weekend?
11:18
An update from McLaren, Norris is going to focus on qualifying as is the norm for FP3, meaning that his lack of long run practice could bite on Sunday. He'll be relying heavily on Piastri's data.
11:09
A driver right up against it today is Lando Norris. The McLaren driver completed just two laps in FP2 after suffering an early gearbox issue. That means he has had no soft tyre running, and was unable to complete a representative long run.
He will be hoping for a full session of green flag running.
10:59
After that...excitement...we're just half an hour away from final F1 practice. The key message in this one will be a contradictory order to drivers: push the limits, but keep it safe and out of the walls.
In plain English, push, but not too much. We'll see how well that goes!
10:52
Dull Madring racing debut gives worrying indication for F1 Spanish GP
The F3 sprint race has finished and we needed a prod to wake us up from that one. Beyond the start, it made Monaco look like top-tier racing.
You can find our first impressions of the racing action in Madrid here...
F3 cars on Turn 12 in Madrid
© XPB Images
10:38
Kimi Antonelli was the fastest driver on Friday, but Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were close behind. While George Russell had topped FP1, his pace appeared patchy throughout the day, with his FP1 time an outlier compared with his other, slower efforts.
10:34
Good morning!
Good morning and welcome to Madrid for qualifying day at the Spanish Grand Prix. First up today will be final practice, before qualifying takes over at 3pm BST.
We only saw one red flag in F1 on Friday, but it was be a shock if that number wasn't added to today.