news-engine

ART Grand Prix driver Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak climbed from his car after a heavy accident at Turn 19 brought Friday morning’s F2 practice session to a lengthy halt in Madrid. The Thai driver lost control through the fast sequence of corners late in the lap before spinning rear-first into the barriers, with the impact leaving his car engulfed in flames. Inthraphuvasak was able to climb from the wreckage quickly as marshals and recovery crews responded, although extinguishing the fire and clearing the damaged car led to a significant delay. The interruption lasted around 24 minutes, leaving the F2 field with only six minutes of practice remaining once the session was restarted. RED FLAGS 🚩 Tasanpol Intharphuvasak hits the barrier at Turn 19 as his car catches fire The Thai driver is out of the car and behind the barrier. He’s all ok 👍#F2 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/iIGEFk1CcN — Formula 2 (@Formula2) September 11, 2026 It proved a particularly costly stoppage for the championship’s drivers, with Friday morning providing their only practice opportunity before qualifying later in the day. The accident came shortly before Formula 1 was due to begin FP1 at the 5.414km Madring, with the field preparing for its first official laps of the brand-new venue. Concerns over incidents had already surrounded the Spanish Grand Prix weekend because of the circuit’s close barriers and unfamiliar layout. A recent Formula 3 test at the venue produced 19 red flags across two days, 11 of which were caused by crashes, while Friday had already delivered another interruption before the F2 incident. DAMS driver Nicola Lacorte crashed near the end of Formula 3 practice after losing the rear of his car at Turn 9 and hitting the wall. Unlike the later F2 accident, Lacorte’s crash came with the session almost complete and therefore cost the field considerably less track time. First practice for F1 begins at 9.30pm AEST.