Hamilton crashes Ferrari in final Madrid practice hours before qualifying

Lewis Hamilton crashed his Ferrari in final practice for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday, halting the session at Madrid's new Madring circuit with just over half an hour remaining.

The seven-time champion locked up and slid into the barriers at the final corner. His front wing ended up wedged under the car and the front-right tyre was punctured, according to live timing and trackside images The Guardian.

What followed was messy. His engineer told him: "Stop the car. Stop in the safest place possible." Hamilton reversed out and tried to limp the damaged Ferrari all the way back to the pits, almost a full lap, before finally parking up. He returned on the back of a moped. The session stopped.

It is the latest shunt on a bruising weekend for a track nobody knows. The Madring is a hybrid of public streets and purpose-built sections, and it has bitten plenty of drivers already.

In second practice on Friday, British rookie Arvid Lindblad crashed and brought out the red flag with just over 20 minutes left Ferrari. Oliver Bearman also crashed in practice and his car had to be lifted clear by a crane. George Russell called the layout "mental" after watching Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak crash in Formula 2 practice.

The timing hurts Ferrari. Hamilton arrived in Madrid third in the drivers' championship, 76 points off the lead before the weekend Reuters. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli holds a 66-point advantage over his Mercedes team-mate Russell going into qualifying.

Antonelli is riding a wave. The Italian won at Monza the previous Sunday from 19th on the grid, helped by a red flag and a virtual safety car — a safety procedure that slows the field — after Mercedes had chosen Monza to take engine penalties for new power unit parts.

Practice pace had looked promising for Ferrari. Mercedes locked out the top two in first practice with Russell ahead, Hamilton just 0.149 seconds back Reuters. In second practice Antonelli went fastest ahead of Charles Leclerc, with Hamilton third in 1min 33.811sec Formula 1. Both Ferraris managed 27 laps each on Friday, with Leclerc back in the car after his accident at Monza.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull spent Friday working up to speed on the unfamiliar layout rather than chasing the times.

For fans, this means jeopardy. A damaged car, limited running and a street circuit with no margin. Qualifying was scheduled for 3pm BST on Saturday, with Sunday's inaugural Madrid Grand Prix set for 57 laps and 308.524km.

Hamilton's crew now face a race against the clock. lights-out is coming fast.