Ferrari completed FP3 for the Madrid Grand Prix with Charles Leclerc in second place, just 0.166 seconds behind Kimi Antonelli, while Lewis Hamilton finished ninth, 1.487 seconds off the pace after hitting the barriers. The final practice session offered further encouraging signs for the SF-26 ahead of qualifying in Madrid, which gets under way at 16:00.
Ferrari’s first day of practice had been positive overall. The SF-26 appeared particularly competitive on the medium compound, while extracting the same level of performance from the soft tyres proved more difficult. It is a trend Ferrari has experienced for much of the season, although the situation already appeared to improve between FP1 and FP2.
Even so, Friday’s running was not enough to establish a definitive competitive order. FP3 and qualifying were expected to provide a much clearer picture, with Ferrari needing to maximise every opportunity on a circuit where the layout is unlikely to offer many straightforward overtaking chances during the race.
Madrid GP FP3: Ferrari improves on the soft tyres
Ferrari began the session with soft tyres fitted to both Charles Leclerc’s and Lewis Hamilton’s SF-26s. After the opening flying laps, Lewis Hamilton moved into first place, holding an advantage of around one and a half tenths over Charles Leclerc in second.
Immediately after completing his lap, Lewis Hamilton returned to the pits and asked for two points of additional front-wing adjustment. Ferrari has continued to work on its Madrid aerodynamic configuration throughout the weekend as the team searches for the right balance around the new circuit.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc improved and went fastest, moving ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris. The early signs suggested Ferrari had made progress in extracting performance from the soft compound compared with Friday.
Lewis Hamilton crashes at the final corner
The session then took a difficult turn for Lewis Hamilton. At the end of his second flying lap, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion ran deep at the final corner and hit the barriers with the front of his Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton was able to get the car moving again, although the front suspension had sustained damage. A return to the track during FP3 appeared highly unlikely, but there were not expected to be major problems preventing Ferrari from preparing the car for qualifying.
The incident brought out the red flag. When the session resumed with 15 minutes remaining, race control had stopped the clock at that point while the track was being repaired, giving the teams an opportunity to complete several final qualifying simulations before the afternoon session.
Charles Leclerc closes to within 0.166s of Kimi Antonelli
With Lewis Hamilton out of the remainder of FP3, Charles Leclerc returned to the circuit on a fresh set of soft tyres. On his first run, the Ferrari driver improved his lap time and dipped below the 1:33 barrier.
The balance of the SF-26 appeared encouraging on the red-walled tyres, with no major problems emerging from Charles Leclerc’s run. With around 10 minutes remaining, the Monegasque driver was still at the top of the standings, approximately one tenth ahead of Lando Norris and three tenths clear of Kimi Antonelli.
Charles Leclerc was unable to improve enough on his next push lap, however, and Kimi Antonelli moved ahead by 0.166 seconds. Ferrari then lost the chance to complete one final attempt when another red flag was triggered by Oliver Bearman, bringing the closing stages of FP3 to an early end.
Can Ferrari fight for pole in Madrid qualifying?
The most encouraging conclusion for Ferrari is that its performance on the soft tyre appears to have improved, which is an important indication ahead of qualifying. It remains difficult to establish whether the SF-26 has enough outright pace to challenge for pole position, but Ferrari appears to have the potential to produce a strong result if it executes the session cleanly.
Lewis Hamilton could have an additional factor in his favour because his SF-26 is equipped with the ADUO2 power unit. Charles Leclerc, by contrast, will not have the updated engine specification available in Madrid following his accident at Monza. Ferrari had already decided not to use Charles Leclerc’s ADUO2 engine in Madrid.
Despite that difference, the qualifying battle is shaping up to be extremely close. Ferrari’s primary objective will therefore be to maximise the potential of both cars and avoid mistakes in a session where small margins could decide several grid positions.
On the evidence available so far, Ferrari should at least have the performance to fight for a place on the second row if everything is executed perfectly, although the tight gaps between the leading teams leave room for surprises. Qualifying will now provide the clearest answer about the SF-26’s true level of competitiveness in Madrid.
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