Lewis Hamilton crashes at Spanish Grand Prix as red flag stops running

Lewis Hamilton's Spanish Grand Prix preparation took a turn for the worse on Saturday when he crashed in final practice, bringing out a red flag.

Halfway into the session, the Ferrari star went straight on at El Parque, breaking off his front wing as he crashed into a barrier.

The angle of the crash meant Hamilton was able to reverse out and drive on, but with the front wing under his car he was told to stop by his Ferrari race engineer, Carlo Santi.

However, Hamilton kept driving in an attempt to get back to the pits, before eventually stopping trackside.

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Hamilton refuses to stop his car

Once Hamilton got the car moving again, Santi told Hamilton to 'stop the car' twice, Hamilton though responded by saying the 'car is going.'

Moments later, Santi told Hamilton again to 'stop the car in the safest place possible'.

Hamilton though said he would only stop the car if he couldn't reach the pits, replying: 'If I can make it back I will if I can't I will do it safely.'

Santi then told Hamilton that he had a puncture, which Hamilton acknowledged that he knew.

Hamilton's desperation to get back to the pits was on the basis that he could pit, fix his front wing and then continue the session in crucial preparation for qualifying later today.

However, with his car clearly in an unsafe condition to drive, the 41-year-old was obliged to stop his car, especially when requested to do so by his team, ending his FP3.

F1's sporting regulations say that the punishment for not doing so ranges from a reprimand to a grid penalty. However, the stewards chose to ignore the incident, deciding not even to investigate Hamilton.

The lack of action split F1 fans online, with some citing Sergio Perez picking up a three-place grid penalty for a similar incident at the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix.

Similar incidents though involving Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc though have led to a reprimand, although did come after an official FIA investigation.

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