F1 Daily: A Chaotic F3 Crash at Madrid, Norris's Super Lap, and Sainz's Penalty

It's Sunday, and it's race day!

After an exciting qualifying session yesterday, Formula One cars now get to race for the first time at the Madring. There might not be tons of overtakes on this track (hopefully we're wrong), but the 2026 F1 Spanish Grand Prix could give us a bit more drama.

The inaugural FIA Formula 3 feature race at the Madring was red-flagged on the opening lap. Nine cars were involved in multiple crashes, with Maciej Gladysz's ART Grand Prix car going airborne at some point. 

Fortunately, no drivers were reportedly injured in the incident. The race resumed after the road repairs, with Rodin Motorsport's Pedro Clerot earning his first F3 win. Campos Racing also did enough to secure the 2026 Teams' Championship. 

The first runs of the Q3 session on Saturday saw Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton setting the best time. But not for long, as Mercedes driver and championship leader Kimi Antonelli got provisional pole in his second run. However, McLaren's Lando Norris, who seemed to be off-pace during the last two sessions, put together a stonking lap and snatched pole by 0.011 seconds. 

If the reigning World Champion gets a good start in today's race, he could hold on for his third Grand Prix victory this season.

Saturday was not a good day for the Madrid native. Williams driver Carlos Sainz Jr. failed to get past Q1, and to add insult to injury, he picked up a three-place grid penalty for impeding Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas. 

Meanwhile, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll also takes a 40-place penalty for a power unit change. The Canadian driver will start at the back of the grid today.

After his heavy shunt during Free Practice 3 earlier in the day, Haas' Oliver Bearman wasn't able to participate in the qualifying session. Bearman said that the car's impact structure needs replacement, which is the main reason for him missing in action in qualifying. 

The young British driver will start 21st on the grid. He has been impressive this season, scoring 18 points compared to his teammate Esteban Ocon's 3.

Lewis Hamilton crashed his Ferrari during FP3, causing a tyre puncture and front wing damage. His race engineer, Carlo Santi, advised him to stop the car multiple times. But Hamilton ignored the instructions, saying that he thought he could make it safely back to the pit lane. 

But the seven-time World Champion complied when Santi eventually told him that the race director himself had ordered the car to be stopped immediately. Luckily for Hamilton, he got away unpunished after the FIA decided not to investigate the incident.