Formula 1: Spanish GP practice crash one of my biggest - Hartley
Brendon Hartley says his Spanish Grand Prix Formula 1 free practice crash on Saturday was one of the biggest of his career


The Toro Rosso driver spun backwards into the barriers at the high-speed Campsa right-hander after putting a wheel on the grass on the outside before turning into the corner.
His car was too heavily damaged for him to take part in qualifying, but he said he was confident the damage can be repaired by his team at the track.
"Such a big impact like that, it's potentially the biggest impact I've had," Hartley said when asked by Autosport when he last had a crash that big.
"I actually don't remember, and that's not because I just had an impact.
"I had a reasonably big crash in the first round of WEC in 2016 [at Silverstone], but it wasn't such a big impact in the end.
"[This crash] was definitely the biggest accident I've had in a long time. It happens in slow motion.
"I was going backwards towards the wall, so you don't really know when the impact is going to come.
"I'm looking in my mirror to know exactly when it was going to come. You brace yourself a bit, but it's never a lot of fun."

Hartley reckoned that he was only two or three centimetres wider than his normal line into Turn 9, but he said there was a dip in the surface the other side of the kerb that pitched his car into a spin.
"Often I'm using this kerb on the entry to Turn 9, as many others do," he said.
"This lap I used two or three centimetres too much and clipped the grass, and I think there's a bit of a hole there and it spun me around very quickly.
"After that I was a passenger. It's a fine margin, such a small difference in line causing big consequences."
Hartley still believes he can score points from the back of the field in the race, as he was happy with the changes made overnight after a tough Friday, and he noted that former Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat finished inside the top 10 from the back row in last year's Spanish GP.
"I know everyone is working very hard to get the car ready for tomorrow, which I'm confident it will be, then I'll be ready," Hartley said.
"I won't think about the crash too much, and I'll focus on moving forward in the race.
"I know Toro Rosso started from the back of the grid last year and managed to score a point, so it's not unachievable.
"I'll do my best to put [the crash] to the back of my mind and attack the race as any other tomorrow.


Alonso: top Formula 1 teams still in 'another league' from McLaren
Formula 1: Hamilton needed pole after Mercedes 'nerves'

Latest news
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow
Connecting two of Ferrari's favourite F1 sons
Gilles Villeneuve's exploits behind the wheel of a Ferrari made him a legend to the tifosi, even 40 years after his death. The team's current Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc enjoys a similar status, and recently got behind the wheel of a very special car from the French-Canadian’s career
How a 30cm metal wire triggered open warfare in the F1 paddock
Porpoising has become the key talking point during the 2022 Formula 1 season, as teams battle to come to terms with it. An FIA technical directive ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix and a second stay appearing on the Mercedes cars only served to create a bigger debate and raise tensions further
Does Verstappen have any weaknesses left?
Having extended his Formula 1 points lead with victory in Canada, Max Verstappen has raised his game further following his 2021 title triumph. Even on the days where Red Bull appears to be second best to Ferrari, Verstappen is getting the most out of the car in each race. So, does he have any weaknesses that his title rivals can exploit?
How F1's future fuels can shape the automotive sector
In 2026, Formula 1 plans to make the switch to a fully sustainable fuel, as the greater automotive world considers its own alternative propulsion methods. Biogasoline and e-fuels both have merit as 'drop-in' fuels but, equally, both have their shortcomings...
The breakthrough behind Sainz’s best weekend of F1 2022 so far
OPINION: Carlos Sainz came close to winning in Monaco but needed that race’s specific circumstances for his shot at a maiden Formula 1 victory to appear. Last weekend in Canada, he led the line for Ferrari in Charles Leclerc’s absence from the front. And there’s a key reason why Sainz has turned his 2022 form around
Canadian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Plenty of high scores but just a single perfect 10 from the first Montreal race in three years, as Max Verstappen fended off late pressure from Carlos Sainz. Here’s Autosport’s assessment on the Formula 1 drivers from the Canadian Grand Prix