Madrid has proven to be a learning curve for drivers this weekend across series, as many have tested limits and found themselves in the walls.

Colton Herta withdrew from today’s sprint race after feeling unwell. This race was expected to be 23 laps of drama, as we got racing in the spanish heat here in Madrid.

Yellow Flag Summons Safety Car

The formation lap was clean but once the race started, it was hit immediately with a yellow flag as Montoya and Bennett made contact, bringing Bennett to a stop.

At the same time, Dunne and Bilinski made contact, fighting through turns, allowing Dunne to get by. The safety car was brought out as Varrone stopped at turn 7 with his rear wing in the barrier after a direct hit to his side by Maini.

Lap 3 saw Montoya and Maini enter the pit lane as the Maini and Varone incident was under investigation. The safety car ended after Montoya and Bennett rejoined the race.

DNFs & Close Calls

Camara ran deep into the apex, running P7 with Dunne close behind him. Bennett was told to retire the car, bringing the DNFs to three as Leon and Van Hoepen battled for 3rd.

Van Hoepen overtook Leon, but Leon had retaken P3, with Tsolov closing in on the battle for 3rd. Leon had used the run-off before rejoining and taking that P3 noted by race control.

Vanhoepen was let through by Leon, who was quickly under threat by Tsolov. Mini using the run-off allowed Bilinski to pass him for P10, bringing an end to their quick fight.

Friendly Fire As Pressure Builds

A fierce battle between teammates as Leon defended P4 against Tsolov as Fittapaldi tried to close the gap to race leader Miyata. By Lap 14 Tsolov went over the chicane to make the move on Leon but had to give the position back, facing a new threat from Stenshorne and Camara.

A spin for Tsolov after a bump with the inside wall put him out of this race and great reflexes kept Stenshorne and Camara from hitting him. Safety car deployed yet again to remove championship leader Nikola Tsolov’s car from turn 20.

Last Lap Showdowns

Safety car ending lap 17, now up to 4 DNFs. Stenshorne was under pressure from Camara as Miyata got the race going again. Beganoic and Bilinski swapped positions, with Beganovic taking P10.

Van Herpen was all over the rear wing of Fittipaldi for P2, a fierce battle but no attacks have been made. Last lap: Miyata had a 2.2-second gap between him and the battle for second. Dunne was also applying pressure on Camara for P6.

The checkered flag brought an end to this race, with podium finishers Ritomo Miyata winning P1, Emerson Fittipaldi P2, and Laurens Van Hoepen P3. Rounding out the points were Leon P4, Stenshorne P5, Camara P6, Dunne P7, and Boya P8.