Dutch GP: McLaren's Norris still untouchable in final practice

Lando Norris continued his stranglehold on Formula 1’s Dutch Grand Prix weekend by topping the third and final practice session at Zandvoort, edging out McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in a dominant display.

The Briton’s late 1m08.972s lap ensured he goes into qualifying later this afternoon with a clean sweep of all three practice sessions, underlining his intent to repeat last year’s pole-to-flag victory and cut further into Piastri’s championship lead.

Overnight thunderstorms left the Zandvoort surface patchy and low on grip at the 11:30 local start. The circuit was officially declared wet, and early times reflected the tentative conditions.

• Dutch Grand Prix Free Practice 3 - Results

Drivers tiptoed their way around the high-banked Turn 3 – the site of Lance Stroll’s heavy crash on Friday – with Yuki Tsunoda suffering a violent snap and Lewis Hamilton wrestling a nervous front end in his Ferrari.

McLaren set the pace

As the session settled, Norris fired in a 1m10.262s to go narrowly faster than Piastri. The Australian hit back moments later, improving to a 1m10.120s to sit 0.142s clear.

George Russell slotted into third on mediums, just 0.035s down on Piastri, while the Ferraris of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc followed closely behind.

Max Verstappen, however, was subdued in front of his home crowd, battling chronic understeer in the Red Bull and languishing eighth behind Oliver Bearman’s hard-tyre effort.

Norris delivers hammer blow

With 15 minutes to go, McLaren turned up the wick. Norris unleashed a blistering 1m08.972s – significantly quicker than his 2024 pole time – to underline the MCL39’s edge around the 4.226km seaside circuit.

Neither Piastri nor Verstappen could respond, with the former’s best effort leaving him 0.242s down, while Verstappen trailed by almost a full second, his hopes of a record-equalling fourth Zandvoort win fading.

Russell wound up third, but a hefty 0.886s adrift, ahead of Williams returnee Carlos Sainz and Verstappen.

For Ferrari, the final practice offered little relief. Leclerc was left searching for traction in sixth position, while Hamilton ended up only 14th, over a second off the pace and voicing ongoing concerns over balance.

Alex Albon, Stroll and Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10, knocking Alonso down to 11th after the Spaniard had a near miss with Russell at pit entry – an incident now under investigation.

With Zandvoort set to host its penultimate grand prix before disappearing from the calendar in 2026, all eyes now turn to qualifying at 15:00 local time, where Norris looks primed to carry his practice dominance into a critical fight for pole.

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