Bottas Triggers FP3 Red Flag With Brake Failure at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Valtteri Bottas brought out the red flag in Free Practice 3 at the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix after suffering a complete brake-pedal failure on his Cadillac. The car beached in the gravel at Turn 10, ending Bottas's session after 14 laps. The stoppage consumed roughly ten minutes of running time, cutting the restart window to 21 minutes or fewer.
Bottas beaches the Cadillac at Turn 10
Valtteri Bottas's final practice session was over after 35 minutes when he lost the brakes on his Cadillac and beached the car in the gravel trap at Turn 10, triggering a red flag period.
The sequence began at the previous corner. The Cadillac driver had a snap coming out of Turn 9 but managed to keep his car on track before backing off on the following straight, then careered off the track into the gravel at the next corner as he seemed powerless to stop his car.[3]
Bottas reported "I lost my brake pedal" over the radio, having gone into the corner at a reduced speed.
Bottas's practice ended after 14 laps as he went sliding off the track and into the gravel.
At first glance, the Finn appeared to have taken slightly too much kerb, but replays and his radio message pointed to a more serious problem.
Context: a recurring brake concern for Cadillac
Cadillac, which encountered brake issues in Monaco, immediately began investigating the issue.
Bottas had also lost running in FP2 on Friday when he was confined to the garage for the first half of the session, while Sergio Perez suffered a brake fire last time out in Monaco and Bottas retired there with brake trouble.[3]
The timing was awkward for Cadillac: with qualifying less than three hours away when the incident happened, the team faced a race against time to recover and repair the car.
Session impact and restart
The session resumed with just 21 minutes remaining, prompting a flurry of activity when the circuit re-opened as drivers tried to maximise their times with the best of the track evolution.
The hot conditions, with the track temperature reaching 50 degrees Celsius, proved challenging, and drivers began to struggle for performance even over just one lap.
FP1 pacesetter George Russell was first to improve, cutting his best lap time to a 1m 15.679s; Oscar Piastri jumped to second with a 1m 15.893s, 0.214s slower than the Mercedes, while Lando Norris slotted into third before Charles Leclerc split the McLarens on a 1m 15.922s.[1]
:::analysis The complete loss of brake-pedal feel mid-lap, rather than gradual fade from heat or wear, points to a hydraulic or mechanical integrity issue rather than a straightforward thermal problem. A second brake-related stoppage in consecutive race weekends raises questions about whether the team's brake specification is sufficiently rated for high-energy circuits. Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is notoriously punishing on brakes through its long back straight and heavy braking zones, so resolving the root cause before qualifying became the immediate priority. :::
Related reading
[1]: formula1.com FP3 report, accessed 2026-06-13. [2]: formula1.com FP3 video, accessed 2026-06-13. [3]: the-race.com FP3 red flag report, accessed 2026-06-13. [4]: autosport.com FP3 report, accessed 2026-06-13. [5]: planetf1.com FP3 report, accessed 2026-06-13.
- [1]2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix FP3 report and highlights: George Russell fastest in Free Practice 3 ahead of Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-13.
- [2]2026 Barcelona-Catalunya GP FP3: Bottas beaches his car after losing the brakes (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-13.
- [3]What happened in red-flagged final Barcelona F1 practice (the-race). Accessed 2026-06-13.
- [4]F1 Barcelona GP: Russell leads Piastri in final practice, frustration for Antonelli (autosport). Accessed 2026-06-13.
- [5]'Unbelievable!' Kimi Antonelli erupts as George Russell tops Barcelona FP3 (planetf1). Accessed 2026-06-13.