The 2026 FIA F2 Madrid weekend at the Spanish GP got underway at 11:05 local time as the championship’s 22 drivers took to the Madring for the first time. Unlike the Formula 3 field, which completed two days of testing at the circuit in August, the F2 drivers arrived without any previous real-world running at the new Madrid venue, placing added importance on the sole 45-minute Free Practice session.
The session offered the field its only opportunity to learn the circuit before Qualifying later on Friday. With a combination of high-speed sections, walls close to the racing line, demanding kerbs and the distinctive banked section at La Monumentale, drivers initially focused on building confidence rather than immediately chasing representative lap times. However, that preparation suffered a significant interruption when ART Grand Prix’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak crashed at Turn 19 and brought out the red flag with approximately 31 minutes remaining.
At the stoppage, ART Grand Prix’s Kush Maini held the fastest time with a 1:49.120, leading Invicta Racing’s Joshua Dürksen and AIX Racing’s Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. as marshals dealt with Inthraphuvasak’s damaged car and subsequent fire.
Race Control eventually resumed the session at 11:48 local time and extended the finish to 11:55, leaving the field around seven minutes to complete its final runs. Those closing minutes produced a rapid series of improvements before TRIDENT’s Laurens van Hoepen hit the barriers near the end. Tsolov ultimately retained first with his 1:47.059, just 0.110 seconds ahead of Varrone, while Villagómez completed a Van Amersfoort Racing two-three with a 1:47.196.
Fittipaldi sets the first benchmark as F2 learns the Madring
AIX Racing’s Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. became the first driver to record a lap time, setting an initial 2:09.388. The lap remained well away from the expected competitive pace, but it marked the start of the field’s first attempts to build speed around the unfamiliar circuit.
PREMA Racing’s Mari Boya soon moved ahead with a 2:02.089 as the first sector times began to improve. Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov followed in second with a 2:03.903, while Hitech’s Ritomo Miyata sat third after recording a 2:04.273.
Those early benchmarks quickly disappeared as the drivers gained confidence and completed their first more representative flying laps. Fittipaldi produced the first major improvement with a 1:51.742, immediately bringing the session closer to the expected pace as the field continued to learn the circuit.
Tsolov subsequently moved to the front before further improvements arrived throughout the order. The rapid progression reflected the limited experience available to the field, with drivers taking significant amounts of time out of their previous laps as they learned braking points, kerb usage and the available grip.
Dürksen and Maini move to the front
With around 34 minutes remaining, Invicta Racing’s Joshua Dürksen found a substantial improvement and moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1:49.430. However, his advantage proved short-lived as Maini responded with a 1:49.120 to become the new benchmark.
Fittipaldi continued his strong start and improved to a 1:49.942, which placed him third. Hitech’s Colton Herta then recorded a 1:49.949 and moved into fourth, pushing Tsolov down to fifth despite the Campos driver improving to a 1:50.065.
At the other end of the order, AIX Racing’s Cian Shields occupied 22nd with a 1:54.265. That left him just over 5.1 seconds behind Maini, although the large spread remained unsurprising at such an early stage of the session as drivers worked through different levels of track familiarity and confidence.
Maini therefore led Dürksen by 0.310 seconds at the front, while only 0.007 seconds separated Fittipaldi and Herta in third and fourth. Tsolov remained within one second of the benchmark in fifth as the field prepared to continue lowering the times.
Inthraphuvasak crash brings out red flag
The drivers’ progress came to an abrupt halt with approximately 31 minutes remaining when Inthraphuvasak crashed at Turn 19. His ART Grand Prix car hit the wall before catching fire, prompting Race Control to stop the session.
Inthraphuvasak climbed out of the car and moved behind the barriers while marshals and fire crews attended the scene. The response focused first on extinguishing the fire before officials could begin removing the damaged car and assessing the barrier.
The session clock continued to count down throughout the stoppage, making the interruption particularly costly on a weekend where every minute of Practice carried added value. F2 has no previous competitive experience at Madring, and the drivers have only this 45-minute session to gather real-world information before Qualifying later in the day.
At the pause, Maini remained at the top with his 1:49.120, followed by Dürksen on a 1:49.430. Fittipaldi held third with a 1:49.942, just 0.007 seconds ahead of Herta’s 1:49.949, while Tsolov completed the leading five with a 1:50.065. Shields remained 22nd on a 1:54.265 as the field waited for the circuit to reopen.
The length of the stoppage also left teams with less time to assess tyre behaviour, race preparation and further set-up changes before Qualifying. With barrier repairs and the recovery of Inthraphuvasak’s car required, the drivers faced the possibility of returning to the circuit with significantly less running than originally planned.
Session resumes for frantic final seven minutes
Race Control restarted Free Practice at 11:48 local time following the lengthy clean-up after Inthraphuvasak’s Turn 19 crash. Officials extended the session slightly, setting the finish for 11:55 and giving the drivers around seven minutes to add to the limited experience they had accumulated before the stoppage.
The restart did not immediately run cleanly. Van Amersfoort Racing’s Nico Varrone briefly triggered yellow flags after running wide, although he recovered quickly and allowed Race Control to return the circuit to green. With so little time remaining, the field immediately focused on representative flying laps rather than gradually rebuilding its pace.
Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne made the first major improvement after the restart, jumping to the top with a 1:48.286. DAMS Lucas Oil’s Dino Beganovic followed closely with a 1:48.319, but Tsolov soon displaced both drivers when he produced a 1:48.245.
The pace continued to fall rapidly into the final minute. Hitech’s Colton Herta moved into second with a 1:47.995 before Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagómez improved to a 1:47.196. TRIDENT’s Laurens van Hoepen also climbed the order with a 1:47.573, while Varrone found a 1:47.169 to take second.
Tsolov then improved again to a 1:47.059, which ultimately became the official fastest time of the session. ART Grand Prix’s Kush Maini briefly appeared at the top of the timing screen with a 1:46.751 as the chequered flag approached, but he lost that lap and fell back to 13th in the final classification with a 1:48.488.
The session ended with another incident as van Hoepen hit the barriers, preventing any further meaningful improvements after the chequered flag. Tsolov therefore remained fastest from Varrone and Villagómez, with Herta fourth on a 1:47.450 and Dunne fifth on a 1:47.488. Van Hoepen retained sixth despite his late incident, ahead of Rodin Motorsport’s Martinius Stenshorne, MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe, MP Motorsport’s Gabriele Minì and Invicta Racing’s Rafael Câmara.
2026 Madrid F2 Free Practice results at the Spanish GP
