Second Free Practice Results & Report 2025 Dutch F1 Grand Prix

Event: Dutch Grand Prix
Track: Zandvoort circuit

Weather: wet/dry  19°C
Tarmac: wet/dry  27°C
Humidity : 59%
Wind : 13.6 km/h South-West

Norris Doubles Up as Chaotic FP2 Shakes Up Dutch GP Weekend

The second practice session at Zandvoort served up exactly what the Dutch fans love: drama, crashes, and a McLaren still looking untouchable in the dry. Lando Norris backed up his FP1 benchmark by again topping the times in FP2, but the headlines weren’t just about lap charts – red flags, spins, and pit lane chaos kept everyone on their toes.

Stroll and Albon Bring Out the Reds

The session was barely underway when Lance Stroll lost the rear at the banked Turn 3. Carrying too much speed into the steep line, the Aston Martin driver locked up and ploughed into the barriers. The Canadian was quick to confirm he was fine, but the damage to his AMR25 and Aston’s Friday programme was significant.

Later on, Alex Albon brought Williams’ afternoon to an abrupt halt. The Thai driver slid into the gravel at Turn 1 and kissed the barriers, breaking his front wing and beaching the FW47. He climbed out unhurt, but the red flags flew for a second time. Two cars in the wall before sunset – Zandvoort’s unforgiving nature on full display.

Pit Lane Drama: Piastri and Russell Nearly Collide

As if the track action wasn’t enough, even the pit lane decided to join the entertainment. During the lull following Albon’s crash, Oscar Piastri pulled into the wrong McLaren pit box and was waved through. The Australian swerved back into the lane right in front of George Russell, forcing the Mercedes man to take evasive action. Unsurprisingly, the incident is now under investigation by the stewards.

Norris Sets the Standard Again

When the dust finally settled, Norris laid down the marker once more. His first flying lap on the softs was a 1m09.890s, good enough to edge out Fernando Alonso by less than a tenth. Piastri slotted into third, only two-thousandths behind Alonso.

That makes it a McLaren sandwich with Alonso as the spicy filling – and the Spaniard looks very dangerous for the rest of the weekend. The top three were separated by less than a tenth, but Norris has the advantage of consistency: P1 in FP1, P1 in FP2.

Ferrari Find Some Grip

After a scrappy FP1, Ferrari managed a small recovery in the afternoon. Lewis Hamilton (sixth) spun again at Turn 9 – this time a full 360 that flat-spotted his fresh soft tyres – but he still ended the session in the mix. Charles Leclerc recovered from his morning struggles to slot into eighth. It’s not headline pace, but at least the Scuderia have a better baseline heading into Saturday.

Rookie Struggles and Reliability Gremlins

For F1’s newcomers, it was a tough Friday. Kimi Antonelli kicked up gravel but kept it together, while Gabriel Bortoleto had to squeeze his mileage around interruptions. Isack Hadjar didn’t fare as well: his RB stopped on track with a power issue, triggering a Virtual Safety Car. For drivers who badly need mileage after the summer break, the lost laps will hurt.

Verstappen Faces an Uphill Task at Home

The Dutch fans came to see their hero shine, but Max Verstappen’s day was more subdued. Running the hard tyres during FP2, he never showed his hand on low fuel. The reigning champion admitted beforehand that Zandvoort might not suit the Red Bull this year, and with McLaren in scorching form, Verstappen may need a dose of Dutch weather chaos to get back into the fight.

The Bigger Picture: Data Still Missing

Between red flags, yellow flags, and a pesky Virtual Safety Car, no team managed to run a full race simulation. That leaves engineers with precious little data for tyre strategy – and with rain forecast for Saturday and possibly Sunday, planning for the Dutch GP just got a whole lot trickier.

What’s Next?

With Norris showing ominous pace, Alonso looking hungry, and Verstappen lurking with a home crowd ready to erupt, the stage is set for a fascinating Qualifying. But the big question is: will the weather let them play it straight? If not, Saturday could deliver one of the most unpredictable Zandvoort grids in years.

One thing’s for sure – McLaren’s orange might just outshine Verstappen’s this weekend.

FP2 Times Table 2025 Dutch GP

1:10,702 min was the fastest lap time of last year's (dry) FP2 in Zandvoort. It was also clocked by George Russell with the Mercedes W15.

The fastest sector times on Zandvoort during this FP2 were:

• Sector 1: 23.999 sec. by Carlos Sainz with the Williams FW47.
• Sector 2: 24.649 sec. by Fernando Alonso with the Aston Martin AMR25.
• Sector 3: 21.201 sec. by Lando Norris with the McLaren MCL39.

✅ Don't forget to check out our 2025 Dutch F1 Grand Prix preview info.

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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