Lewis Hamilton has caused a red flag this Saturday in Madring after crashing his Ferrari into the wall during the third free practice session of the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix. The Brit initially managed to reverse and resume driving, but the damage suffered in the front area ultimately forced him to stop the car on the track.
The accident occurred in the 22nd corner with just over 36 minutes remaining in Free Practice 3. Hamilton hit the barriers and damaged the nose and front wing of his Ferrari. Race control ended up showing the red flag to be able to remove the car and inspect the area.
The image was particularly striking because the seven-time champion initially managed to get the car out of the wall and tried to slowly return to the pits dragging part of the front wing. However, Ferrari ended up asking him to stop.
Hamilton had a puncture and significant damage
The Ferrari was able to continue for a few moments after the impact, but the situation was worse than it initially seemed.
Hamilton was suffering from a puncture and numerous damages in the front, so the team decided that he should not attempt to complete the lap back to the garage. The Brit ended up parking the car on the side of the track while the red flag remained active.
The crash comes at a particularly inconvenient time for Ferrari. The qualifying is scheduled for this Saturday at 16:00 hours, leaving the mechanics a few hours to assess the damage and repair the SF-26 before one of the most important sessions of the weekend.
Hamilton had been showing competitive pace before the accident. According to the session tracking, he was setting some of the best sectors of his lap before ending up against the barriers.
Madring proves once again that it does not forgive mistakes
The accident of the Ferrari driver highlights the difficulty of the new Madrid circuit, which combines permanent areas with urban sectors surrounded by walls and very little margin to correct a mistake.
The drivers themselves had warned before the Grand Prix about the demands of the track. Hamilton had compared some of its risks to those of Jeddah, while other drivers like Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Kimi Antonelli had also pointed out the need to maintain maximum concentration due to the proximity of the barriers.
On Friday, the first red flag in the history of Formula 1 in Madring had already been recorded, after Arvid Lindblad lost control of his Racing Bulls between turns 12 and 13 and ended up against the wall. The impact was strong enough for the team to subsequently have to change the survival cell of their single-seater.
Hamilton, in addition, had already brushed against the barriers during the first practice sessions on Friday, leaving one of the images that anticipated the narrow margin of error of the circuit.
Ayuso and Almeida, present this Saturday in Madring
The day also has important institutional representation. The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, have attended this Saturday in Madring to closely follow the first Formula 1 Grand Prix held on the new layout.
The official agenda of the City Council placed Almeida at 12:30 hours at the circuit to attend precisely to Free Practice 3, before the qualifying session scheduled for 16:00 hours.
Ayuso and Almeida have supported the project to bring Formula 1 back to Madrid in recent years and have participated in various events related to the construction and presentation of Madring, including the launch of the circuit and the presentation of the Grand Prix trophy.
Their presence also coincides with a day of maximum expectation in the paddock and the stands, with thousands of fans traveling to IFEMA and Valdebebas.
Madrid recovers Formula 1 after 45 years
The Grand Prix represents the return of Formula 1 to Madrid 45 years after the last race held at the Jarama circuit in 1981.
Madring is located around IFEMA and Valdebebas and has approximately 5.4 kilometers of track. A good part of the layout takes place on facilities specifically built for the Grand Prix, although it also includes about 1.5 kilometers on the streets of the capital.
Among its most characteristic points is La Monumental, a large banked curve that has become one of the identifying images of the circuit. The layout combines slow corners, fast sections, elevation changes, tunnels, and walls very close to the cars.
The organization expects to gather more than 300,000 fans throughout the weekend, in one of the largest sporting events organized in Madrid in recent years.
Ferrari had started strong in Madrid
The accident also represents a setback after Ferrari's good start.
In the Free Practice 2 on Friday, Hamilton finished third, just behind his teammate Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes, which topped the standings with a time of 1:33.662.
The Italian team also has a bit more experience than the other teams in Madring. Ferrari was the first Formula 1 team to run on the circuit, during a filming day held in July where Hamilton and Leclerc were able to complete up to 100 kilometers each on demonstration tires.
This prior knowledge had fueled expectations about Ferrari over the weekend.
Now, however, the immediate priority will be another: to assess the extent of the damage to Hamilton's car and ensure it is ready for this afternoon's qualifying.
The Briton emerged unscathed from the impact, but his accident adds another red flag to a weekend in which Madring is demonstrating exactly what the drivers warned about before getting behind the wheel: the walls are very close and any mistake can be costly.