Charles Leclerc caught in a big head-on crash at the Barcelona GP, and the medical car rushed to the scene
Charles Leclerc has had a tough week, crashing for the second time during qualifying at the Barcelona GP. On Sunday afternoon, the drivers will line up at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the seventh race of the 2026 season.
Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli, who has been very strong so far this season, is the favorite to win in Barcelona. The race is expected to be one of the most exciting of the year. But Antonelli isn’t the only driver to watch—his teammate George Russell, along with drivers from McLaren and Ferrari, are also expected to do well.
Unfortunately, just minutes into the final qualifying session, Leclerc had a heavy crash in Turn 3 after losing control of his car and hitting the barrier head-on. The crash was serious enough to bring out the red flag, stopping the session, and the medical car was sent to the scene due to the high impact of the collision.
Luckily, Leclerc appeared fine right after and was able to get out of his car and walk away. Before the crash, he was having a strong qualifying run and looked like he could challenge for pole position, even though Ferrari’s car is generally slower than Mercedes and McLaren.
Because of the crash, Leclerc will now start Sunday’s race in tenth place. His teammate Hamilton did well, securing a P2 spot behind Russell, with Antonelli in P3.
This crash comes just six days after Leclerc hit the barriers again while running third in his home race in Monaco. Talking about the accident on the team radio, he explained it wasn’t his fault. He said a technical problem caused him to lose control because three of his brakes weren’t working. Only the front left brake was working well, the front right was half working, and the two rear brakes weren’t working at all. Leclerc said it felt like the brakes weren’t even there, which made it impossible to slow down properly.