Lando Norris fired back in style on Saturday, topping the final practice session ahead of qualifying at the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to lead a third consecutive McLaren one-two. After trailing team-mate Oscar Piastri in both Friday sessions, Norris edged ahead when it mattered most, clocking a 1:14.897 on the soft compound to go exactly one-tenth quicker than the championship leader — setting up a mouthwatering intra-team battle for pole later in the day.
What To Know?
- McLaren Stays On Top: Lando Norris led a McLaren one-two in final practice, reversing Friday’s order by narrowly beating Oscar Piastri by 0.100s.
- Verstappen Lurks: Max Verstappen was third, setting his best lap on mediums after struggling to maximise Red Bull’s pace on the new C6 soft compound.
- Home Hero Impresses: Kimi Antonelli thrilled the home crowd with a strong P4 for Mercedes, while Ferrari continued to lag just behind the frontrunners.
The final hour of running ahead of qualifying played out under sunny skies at Imola, giving teams one last shot at dialling in performance for the most critical session of the weekend. Norris was among the early runners, briefly running on the hard tyre before most drivers turned their attention to soft-tyre performance runs in the second half of the session. Piastri’s best time came on a second push lap — slightly past the C6 compound’s peak performance window — leaving just enough margin for Norris to strike back.
Formula One History Recommends
-
-
2025 Emilia-Romagna GP FP2: Piastri Leads Practice Sweep for McLaren
-
2025 Emilia Romagna GP Qualifying: Piastri Grabs Pole in Dramatic Imola Shootout
-
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners
Max Verstappen, who had beaten the McLarens to pole in three of the last four rounds, ended up third but was the only non-McLaren within two-tenths of Norris’ time. Interestingly, the Dutchman set his fastest lap on the slower medium compound, failing to improve once he switched to the new C6 softs, which several drivers found difficult to keep in the ideal operating window over a full lap.
Home favourite Kimi Antonelli delighted the Italian crowd with an impressive P4 for Mercedes, his best result of the weekend so far, while Charles Leclerc was fifth for Ferrari — once again leading the Scuderia’s charge after a difficult Friday. Carlos Sainz put his Williams into sixth, while Friday crash victim Isack Hadjar rebounded well to go seventh for Racing Bulls, despite a close call in the pit lane with Sainz during a practice start.
George Russell, Alex Albon, and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top ten, the latter still looking to get comfortable in his upgraded Ferrari after brake issues disrupted Friday’s running. Fernando Alonso was P11 as Aston Martin focused on long-run data collection with the hard compound, while Ollie Bearman, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, and Pierre Gasly followed. Gabriel Bortoleto ended the session in 16th for Kick Sauber, just ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, Alpine rookie Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, and Esteban Ocon, who brought up the rear for Haas.
As McLaren completed a clean sweep of all three practice sessions, they headed into qualifying as clear favourites — but with Verstappen lurking and the margins tight, the battle for pole in the 2025 F1 season remained wide open.
2025 Emilia Romagna GP FP3 Results
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix FP3, 17 May 2025
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:14.897 | 19 | |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:14.997 | +0.100s | 19 |
| 3 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:15.078 | +0.181s | 17 |
| 4 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:15.399 | +0.502s | 15 |
| 5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:15.451 | +0.554s | 26 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | 1:15.457 | +0.560s | 21 |
| 7 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:15.508 | +0.611s | 20 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:15.662 | +0.765s | 14 |
| 9 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:15.732 | +0.835s | 20 |
| 10 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:15.787 | +0.890s | 25 |
| 11 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:15.819 | +0.922s | 18 |
| 12 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 1:15.944 | +1.047s | 14 |
| 13 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:15.975 | +1.078s | 22 |
| 14 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:15.977 | +1.080s | 21 |
| 15 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:15.990 | +1.093s | 14 |
| 16 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:16.046 | +1.149s | 17 |
| 17 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:16.110 | +1.213s | 14 |
| 18 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Renault | 1:16.210 | +1.313s | 14 |
| 19 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:16.238 | +1.341s | 16 |
| 20 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | 1:16.387 | +1.490s | 15 |
Seen in:
