15:45
Teams don't often celebrate mid-session, but after his crash yesterday, this feels warranted for Lindblad.
Sainz at the Madring
© XPB Images
F1 Madrid LIVE: Qualifying reaction after surprise Norris Spanish GP pole
Live coverage of Saturday at the F1 Spanish Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Norris storms to Madrid pole
- Lewis Hamilton crash brings out red flag
- Leclerc fastest at red flag
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
15:41
Lindblad manages to escape Q2 to continue his impressive streak of Q3 appearances, but out are:
11. Hulkenberg
12. Bortoleto
13. Ocon
14. Gasly
15. Tsunoda
16. Albon
15:40
Chequered flag
The flag falls on Q2, and the order seems fairly well set.
15:39
On used tyres, Antonelli improves, but remains in second place. Verstappen is going yet faster still.
15:37
McLaren need to find pace to have some level of comfort here.
15:36
Seriously, hats off to Colapinto for this save.
15:35
Leclerc goes third, and Hamilton fourth. They should be safe now, but there is more time to find.
15:34
Running between the traditional windows are the two Ferrari drivers. They're improving, but the times are nothing spectacular.
15:33
In the drop zone right now are Bortoleto, Tsunoda, Ocon, Albon, Colapinto and Gasly.
Lindblad is on the bubble, as the drivers return to the pits for fresh rubber ahead of their final runs.
15:32
Colapinto is 15th but survived a monumental crash at Turn 12 as he lost the rear on the banking. If he hadn't caught that, it would have been comfortably the biggest crash of the day.
15:31
Verstappen goes fastest in sector one, sector two, and overall by 0.046s. Where has this pace suddenly come from at Red Bull???
15:29
Double yellows were briefly shown, so it's likely that someone took to an escape road.
15:29
Here come the first times of Q2, and the Mercedes drivers are flying, with Antonelli punching in a 1m32.603s. Russell is just a fraction slower. Ferrari has no answer for that.
15:27
Not great for the home hero, as Sainz misses out. He is also being looked at for impeding Bottas in Q1. It seems like a slam dunk penalty, sadly.
15:26
Q2 begins
The green light shows and Q2 is underway, just as Ipswich equalise against Crystal Palace.
15:20
We haven't been told yet what happened to Stroll, but finishing below a driver who took no part is a special way to mark your 101st Q1 exit.
15:19
But no one is improving. The drivers dropping out in Q1 are:
17. Sainz
18: Alonso
19. Perez
20. Bottas
21. Bearman
22. Stroll
15:18
Chequered flag in Q1
Here we go. These times matter.
15:17
Albon climbs out at the expense of Williams team-mate Sainz. Stroll remains in the garage and is out.
15:17
Antonelli returns to the top with a 1m33.267s, but it's the relegation zone we're paying more attention to right now.
15:14
Russell improves to go sixth, one place behind Antonelli, but he struck the wall at Turn 21. He is quick to instruct Mercedes that he will box to have the car checked over.
Albon did a very similar thing earlier on, and suffered surprisingly heavy damage.
15:13
With five minutes remaining, Alonso, Albon, Perez, Bottas, Bearman and Stroll are the drivers in the drop zone. Sainz is on the bubble.
15:12
Looking at the foot of the order, Stroll is yet to set a time after bailing out of his first effort. That means he is currently behind Bearman...a driver not taking part in the session.
15:10
Off goes Antonelli at Turn 17, locking up and sliding helplessly into the runoff. Most other corners, that error would have carried a far higher cost.
15:08
Lawson has been nowhere all weekend, but he moves to the top with a 1m33.316s for Red Bull.