Lewis Hamilton crashed during the final practice session for the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madrid circuit. The seven-time world champion lost control while braking at the final corner and collided with the tyre wall, despite being on track to set the fastest lap of the session. The incident occurred as Hamilton continued to push his car despite significant damage, including a punctured front tyre and a damaged front wing. Hamilton repeatedly ignored instructions from his race engineer, Carlo Santi, to stop his heavily damaged car immediately on the track. Despite the damage, he drove two-thirds of a lap before finally pulling over to the side of the track. Throughout the incident, Hamilton attempted to reverse out of the tyre wall and drive back to the pits, even as his team urged him to stop in the safest place possible. During the radio communication, Santi repeatedly told Hamilton to stop the car, emphasizing the severity of the damage. "Stop the car," Santi said. "Car is going," Hamilton replied, as his damaged front wing was lodged under the front-right of his machine. Santi reiterated his instructions: "Stop in the safest place possible." Hamilton responded, "If I can make it back I will and if I can’t I will stop safely." Despite being aware of the punctured front tyre, Hamilton continued his attempt to return to the pits, defying his team’s advice. After completing two-thirds of the lap, he eventually pulled over to the side of the track. Hamilton exited his car, which was then transported back to the pits on a flat-bed truck. Qualifying for Sunday’s race at the new Madrid circuit is scheduled to take place at 15:00 BST on Saturday afternoon.