McLaren’s Lando Norris continued his dominance at the Dutch Grand Prix, topping the second practice session with a commanding performance on Zandvoort’s 4.226km seaside circuit.
The Briton’s fastest lap held firm despite multiple interruptions, securing a Friday clean sweep. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso surprised with a strong second place, while championship leader Oscar Piastri rounded out the top three.
The session was disrupted early on when Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll suffered a heavy crash at Turn 3’s high banking. Carrying too much speed, the Canadian slammed into the outside wall, wrecking the front and rear right-side of his AML25, triggering an immediate red flag.
Multiple Interruptions Hamper Running
At the time, Haas rookie Oliver Bearman briefly led with a 1m11.113s lap on soft tyres, ahead of Norris and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto.
The session faced further chaos when Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar stopped on track due to a power loss, prompting a Virtual Safety Car with only half the session remaining.
A second red flag was triggered when Alex Albon outbraked himself at Turn 1, grazing the wall and ending in the gravel trap. These stoppages limited soft-tyre runs and qualifying simulations, forcing drivers to focus on medium and hard compounds for longer stints.
Late Surge and Final Order
As the session resumed with 16 minutes left, Nico Hulkenberg briefly topped the times for Sauber, only to be overtaken by George Russell, Alonso, and Norris.
Lewis Hamilton, despite a spin at Turn 9, recovered to finish sixth behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Yuki Tsunoda bounced back from a tough FP1 to take seventh for Racing Bulls, followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in eighth, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto in ninth, and Hulkenberg completing the top 10.
Session Takeaways
Norris’ consistency signals McLaren’s strong form, while Alonso’s pace hints at Aston Martin’s potential despite Stroll’s setback.
With interruptions limiting data collection, teams face a challenging setup for Saturday’s sessions. Verstappen, sitting fifth, remains a threat on home soil as Red Bull aims to close the gap.
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