Kimi Antonelli Dominates Chaotic FP3 in Barcelona
Kimi Antonelli lit up a chaotic final practice in Barcelona, setting the pace in a session twice halted by heavy crashes and littered with frustration.
The young Italian handled the interruptions and the rising tension better than anyone, punching in a lap that left established stars trailing. His best time put him almost two-tenths clear of Charles Leclerc, with Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen rounding out a top five that looked more like qualifying than a Saturday warm-up.
Red flags and rising tension
The rhythm of FP3 never really settled. The first major flashpoint came courtesy of Lewis Hamilton, whose crash mid-session brought out a red flag and triggered a lengthy stoppage while the barriers were repaired. The delay cut deeply into everyone’s run plans and turned the final phase into a scramble.
Hamilton’s morning went from bad to worse. After the impact, he tried to coax his damaged car back to the garage, going against Ferrari’s instructions to stop. It was the kind of session that offers no positives: lost track time, a broken rhythm, and a car needing repair with qualifying looming.
When the action finally resumed, drivers had precious little time to dial in their cars. The pressure to deliver a clean, quick lap soared. Antonelli seized that moment. While others struggled to piece together tidy sectors on a green and disjointed track, he found grip, confidence and a lap that put him out of reach.
Just as teams were squeezing the last drops of data from the session, it all ended with another heavy hit. Oliver Bearman crashed with barely a minute left on the clock, bringing out a second red flag and slamming the door on any late improvements. That sealed Antonelli’s place at the top of the timesheets and froze a running order that left several big names with more questions than answers.
Barcelona rarely forgives a poor preparation. If this FP3 is any indication, qualifying could be shaped as much by who keeps their head amid the chaos as by outright speed.
