Kimi Antonelli wasted no time in stamping his authority on Formula 1’s newest playground, topping Friday practice at the Madring and underlining exactly why he leads the championship.
Fast in the morning. Fastest in the afternoon. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver looked at ease on a circuit that caught plenty of others out.
Mercedes set the tone, Antonelli delivers
George Russell opened the day with a marker lap of 1:34.077 in first practice, Mercedes immediately comfortable around the tight, twisting layout that snakes around Madrid’s IFEMA exhibition centre near Barajas airport.
Antonelli sat second in that opening session. That didn’t last.
When the track rubbered in and the temperatures rose, the Italian took control. His best effort of 1:33.662 in FP2 put him 0.113 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Lewis Hamilton just 0.149 adrift in third. On a brand-new circuit, with margins this small, that gap matters.
Russell, the closest rival to Antonelli in the title race, slipped to fifth in the later session, unable to quite match the step his teammate found as the afternoon evolved.
Lindblad hits the wall, still lands P4
The Madring had its first major F1 moment before the sun went down.
Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad became the first driver to crash at the new venue, losing the rear of the car and slamming sideways into the barriers at Turn 13. The impact brought out the red flags and ended his running with 24 minutes left on the clock.
The 19-year-old apologised over the radio, but the stopwatch told a different story: his earlier work was good enough for fourth in FP2, only behind Antonelli, Leclerc and Hamilton.
The new circuit is already showing its teeth. Earlier in the day, a fiery crash had halted F2 practice, a reminder that the Madring’s combination of walls, banking and changing grip levels will punish hesitation.
Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen lurking
Behind Antonelli, the usual heavyweights circled.
Leclerc looked sharp in both sessions, finishing second in FP2 after taking third in the morning. Hamilton mirrored that consistency with P4 in FP1 and P3 in FP2, the seven-time champion clearly growing more confident as he attacked the high-speed sections.
Max Verstappen, though, never quite joined the party at the front. The four-time world champion ended the second session in sixth for Red Bull, behind Lindblad and Russell, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri slotting into seventh.
Yuki Tsunoda, standing in at Racing Bulls, took eighth, while Esteban Ocon delivered ninth for Haas.
For Red Bull, there was at least one model of consistency: Liam Lawson, again substituting for the injured Isack Hadjar, clocked 10th in both sessions. Quietly efficient, quietly in the mix.
Norris sidelined, tempers flare
Not everyone got a full taste of the Madring.
Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, watched FP2 from the garage as McLaren changed the gearbox on his car. On a brand-new track where every lap counts, that lost running could sting later in the weekend.
Out on circuit, the traffic games began.
With the lap tight and technical, several drivers complained over the radio about rivals blocking them. Nico Hülkenberg’s frustration boiled over when Hamilton didn’t yield at the final corner, the German snapping, “That’s just nasty,” as his lap evaporated.
Lindblad, already in the spotlight after his crash, had his own grievances. He branded Hamilton and Antonelli “stupid” over the radio after accusing them of getting in his way at Turn 12, the circuit’s signature ‘La Monumental’ banked corner. The learning curve at Madring isn’t just about lines and braking points; it’s about traffic management and timing.
Home heroes struggle to ignite
For the Spanish crowd, the script didn’t quite follow the dream.
Fernando Alonso brushed the wall in his Aston Martin and never looked truly comfortable, ending the sessions 15th and 17th. Carlos Sainz, driving for Williams in his home city, fared little better with 17th in FP1 and 16th in FP2. On a day when others dialled in quickly, both Spaniards looked like they were still searching for the rhythm of the place.
The Madring, bright and sunlit, already feels like a circuit that rewards commitment and confidence. On Friday, no one showed more of both than Kimi Antonelli.
He arrived as championship leader. He left day one as the man everyone has to catch on a track that is still revealing where the limits really are.
