Huge Hartley crash red flags Barcelona session

Brendon Hartley wrecked his Toro Rosso in third practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, causing the session to be red flagged and preventing him from participating in Saturday's qualifying. Hartley spun into the barriers at turn nine of the Circuit de Catalunya, slamming rear-first into the barriers and causing serious damage.

Hartley paid the price for dipping a wheel onto dirt at the entry of the corner, but he was able to climb out of the car and walk away without immediately evident injuries.

Toro Rosso's garage could only look on aghast as the car was lifted by cranes, only for bodywork to snap off, giving mechanics an enormous rebuild job.

Tremendo golpe de Hartley contra las barreras #FP3 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/OCjI3TqUsf — ????????VictorF1 (@g3of1) May 12, 2018

???? pic.twitter.com/kEB1USjrpJ — Ky (@FiftyBuckss) May 12, 2018

Hartley will have to appeal to race stewards to be allowed to race from the pit-lane, although that is likely to be a formality, providing he is fit.

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel radioed his team to ask for Hartley's condition after passing the scene of the incident.

The medical car was immediately sent for and Hartley will have to undergo tests for concussions due to the severity of the impact.

It brought a premature end to a session which saw Mercedes once again impress, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas topping the timesheets.

Hamilton clocked one minute 17.281 seconds, with Bottas just a hundredth further back.

The Ferrari pair of Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were both within three tenths, but Red Bull's Friday promise was not replicated as Daniel Ricciardo suffered electrical problems and Max Verstappen's car needed a change of floor.