Third Free Practice Results & Report 2025 Dutch F1 Grand Prix

Event: Dutch Grand Prix
Track: Zandvoort circuit

Weather: wet/dry  20°C
Tarmac: wet/dry  23°C
Humidity : 69%
Wind : 13.6 km/h South

Norris Dominates FP3 in Zandvoort to Seal Perfect Practice Hat-Trick

The final practice session for the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix delivered the usual Zandvoort chaos – traffic jams, near misses, and a buzzing home crowd – but when the chequered flag fell, one man had stamped his authority all over the weekend. Lando Norris completed a clean sweep of all three practice sessions, firing in a 1:08.972 lap that made last year’s pole look almost pedestrian.

McLaren in Full Control

Norris’ blistering lap was seven tenths faster than the 2024 pole time and a massive statement heading into qualifying. His McLaren looked rock solid through the banked corners, with no hint of the twitchiness that unsettled others.

Oscar Piastri, though, couldn’t quite keep pace. The Australian Championship leader trailed his teammate by 0.242s – a sizeable margin on such a short circuit. Piastri hasn’t started from pole since Spain, and unless he finds something special this afternoon, he may once again have to play second fiddle.

The Battle for the Second Row

Behind the McLaren duo, the fight for best of the rest was razor-tight. George Russell grabbed P3, just 0.05s ahead of Carlos Sainz, with Max Verstappen a whisker further back – a mere 0.013s off the Ferrari.

For Verstappen, it was another session of frustration in front of his home fans. Zandvoort’s narrow track produced traffic headaches all morning, and even the world champion found himself snarled up in the mess. A small consolation: he’s at least within touching distance of the Ferraris and Mercedes, meaning the second row is wide open for qualifying.

Traffic Chaos and On-Track Drama

The session was far from smooth sailing. Alonso and Russell nearly came together on the pit straight when Alonso tried to pick up a tow, only for Russell to veer across as if heading to the pits. The stewards immediately announced they’ll investigate the incident after the session.

Elsewhere, Colapinto cut across Gasly, Antonelli weaved through a gaggle on the main straight, and Tsunoda had words with Stroll over the radio after yet another traffic squabble. If FP3 is anything to go by, expect fireworks in Q1 when 20 cars fight for track position.

Aston Martin Lose Ground

After showing promise on Friday, Aston Martin slid back on Saturday morning. Lance Stroll, who crashed in FP2 and forced the team to burn a curfew fix, could only manage P8, while Fernando Alonso wound up P10.

The Canadian at least proved he was back in rhythm after yesterday’s shunt, but the gap to McLaren has widened. Unless Aston Martin can unlock more pace later today, they may find themselves in the thick of the midfield battle.

Hamilton and Ferrari Show Signs of Life

Mercedes and Ferrari still look inconsistent, but Lewis Hamilton brought some encouragement with a run to P3 early on medium tyres before dropping back. Both Ferrari drivers also seemed happier compared to Friday, though still searching for the sweet spot on low fuel.

With conditions stable and a dry track, the stage is set for both teams to try and upset the order when everything is turned up to full power in qualifying.

What Next?

With Norris topping all three practice sessions and looking untouchable, the Briton heads into qualifying as the hot favourite for pole. Piastri must find nearly a quarter of a second to avoid conceding early momentum in the McLaren title fight.

Behind them, Russell, Sainz and Verstappen are separated by the blink of an eye – and with traffic proving such a menace, one mistimed run could reshuffle the entire second row.

Qualifying gets underway at 14:30 local time, and if Norris’ FP3 pace is anything to go by, Zandvoort’s lap record could be smashed to pieces.

FP3 Times Table 2025 Dutch GP

1:20,311 min was the fastest lap time of last year's (wet) FP3 in Zandvoort. It was clocked by Pierre Gasly with the McLaren MCL38.

✅ 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.

Related topics