Madrid, Spain, September 11, 2026: Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time in the second free practice session for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, leading Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at the all-new Madring circuit.

Antonelli posted a 1:33.662s lap to finish 0.113 seconds ahead of Leclerc, with Hamilton just 0.036s further back in third.

The Mercedes rookie’s benchmark was set shortly before the session was red-flagged with 25 minutes remaining and ultimately proved good enough to keep him at the top of the timesheets at the end of Friday’s running.

The result also gives Mercedes an encouraging start at the new 5.4km, 22-turn Madrid circuit, which combines public-road sections with a purpose-built loop.

Antonelli sets the pace at Madring

Antonelli was immediately competitive during the early stages of FP2, setting a 1:34.428s lap on Medium tyres to take provisional first place.

Max Verstappen briefly moved ahead for Red Bull before Antonelli responded with a 1:33.926s effort. Mercedes team-mate George Russell also showed strong pace and moved to within a tenth of Antonelli.

The switch to Soft tyres around the halfway point produced another improvement from Antonelli, while Ferrari’s Leclerc and Hamilton moved into second and third.

Antonelli eventually lowered the benchmark to 1:33.662s, with the lap coming shortly before the red flags were deployed.

Lindblad crashes as FP2 is red-flagged

Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad was one of the standout performers before his session came to an early end.

The British driver produced an impressive 1:33.890s lap to climb to fourth, but shortly afterwards lost control at Turn 13 and made contact with the barriers.

The incident brought out the red flags, with marshals required to repair the damaged TecPro barrier. Lindblad escaped the crash without injury.

The interruption effectively ended the leading drivers’ attempts to improve their times, leaving Antonelli at the top ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton.

Lindblad nevertheless finished an impressive fourth, ahead of Russell and Verstappen.

Verstappen sixth as Piastri struggles for rear grip

Verstappen finished sixth for Red Bull, 0.401 seconds off Antonelli’s pace.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was seventh after complaining of a lack of rear grip. The Australian improved to 1:34.200s on Soft tyres but could not challenge the leading Mercedes and Ferrari drivers.

His McLaren team-mate Lando Norris endured a particularly difficult FP2. The reigning world champion completed only two laps and failed to set a representative time after McLaren confirmed that his car required a gearbox change.

Norris therefore ended the session at the bottom of the classification without a recorded lap time.

Alonso delayed by clutch problem

Fernando Alonso also had a restricted session after Aston Martin was forced to repair a clutch issue sustained during his FP1 practice starts.

The two-time World Champion joined the action late and completed only 16 laps, finishing 17th with a best time of 1:36.780s.

Home favourite Carlos Sainz was 16th for Williams, while Franco Colapinto was 15th for Alpine.

Pierre Gasly was the leading Alpine driver in 11th, followed by Audi’s Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.

2026 Spanish Grand Prix FP2: Complete results

With Antonelli leading the way, Ferrari showing strong one-lap pace and Verstappen lurking in sixth, the opening day at the new Madring has provided plenty of clues ahead of qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix. Mercedes will be encouraged by Antonelli’s pace, while McLaren faces a busy night after Norris’ limited running.