Lando Norris underlined McLaren’s growing authority in the 2025 F1 World Championship by completing a clean sweep of practice sessions ahead of qualifying for the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix. The Briton fired in a blistering 1:08.972 lap on soft tyres to top FP3, finishing more than two-tenths clear of team-mate Oscar Piastri, while George Russell and Carlos Sainz led the chasing pack.
What To Know?
- Norris fastest in FP3 on 1:08.972, 0.242s clear of Piastri.
- Russell P3; Sainz P4; Verstappen nearly 1s off in P5.
- Alonso/Russell pit entry near-miss placed under investigation.
Overnight rain left the Zandvoort track damp at the start, with teams waiting several minutes before sending cars out. Isack Hadjar was first to venture onto the circuit but quickly reported it was “very green” as grip proved elusive. As the surface improved, Lance Stroll — back in action with a rebuilt Aston Martin after his FP2 crash — set the early pace on softs, before Fernando Alonso briefly held the benchmark with a 1:11.082. But once McLaren hit the track on the red-marked tyres, the order quickly reset.
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Norris’s initial 1:10.262 lap put him on top, before Piastri edged ahead with a 1:10.120, consistently faster in the first sector but unable to string together a complete lap. In the final qualifying simulations, Norris struck back with a lap almost a full second quicker than his Friday best, leaving Piastri 0.242s behind. Behind the McLaren duo, Russell produced a strong late run to take third, 0.886s adrift, as he narrowly avoided a high-speed clash with Alonso on pit entry — an incident now under investigation.
Sainz slotted his Williams into fourth, just ahead of Max Verstappen, whose home crowd was given little to cheer as the Red Bull star finished almost a full second off Norris. Charles Leclerc was sixth for Ferrari, followed by Alex Albon’s Williams, with Stroll, Hadjar, and Alonso rounding out the top 10. Further back, Liam Lawson took 11th, ahead of Yuki Tsunoda and Gabriel Bortoleto, while Lewis Hamilton’s struggles continued as he managed only 14th in the second Ferrari.
Oliver Bearman and Nico Hülkenberg followed, with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli down in 17th after being blocked by traffic on his final push lap. Esteban Ocon led the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto at the foot of the timesheets.
With McLaren locking out the top two across all three practice sessions, Norris and Piastri headed into qualifying as the men to beat — while Verstappen, Ferrari, and the rest faced a steep challenge to halt the papaya surge on the Dutch coast.
2025 Dutch GP FP3 Results
2025 Dutch Grand Prix FP3, 30 August 2025
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME / GAP | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:08.972 | 16 |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.242s | 15 |
| 3 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.886s | 17 |
| 4 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.941s | 23 |
| 5 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +0.953s | 20 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.966s | 23 |
| 7 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +1.127s | 22 |
| 8 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.131s | 24 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +1.194s | 21 |
| 10 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1.260s | 20 |
| 11 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.328s | 17 |
| 12 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | +1.377s | 19 |
| 13 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +1.389s | 21 |
| 14 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +1.401s | 20 |
| 15 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.623s | 19 |
| 16 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +1.627s | 24 |
| 17 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +1.725s | 31 |
| 18 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.829s | 18 |
| 19 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.991s | 24 |
| 20 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +2.082s | 21 |
Race Guide
Season: 2025 F1 World Championship
Race weekend: 29 August 2025 – 31 August 2025
Race date: Sunday, 31 August, 2025
Race start time: 15:00 local time
Circuit: Circuit Zandvoort
Laps: 72
Circuit length: 4.259km
2024 winner: Lando Norris
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