Why it matters
McLaren's Lando Norris continued his dominant run in Friday practice for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix, topping both sessions and showcasing strong pace. However, the afternoon session was twice red-flagged due to significant crashes involving Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Williams' Alex Albon, disrupting valuable track time for teams.
The details
- Norris set the fastest time of 1:09.890 on soft tyres, outpacing Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) by 0.087 seconds. Championship leader Oscar Piastri (McLaren) finished a close third, just 0.002 seconds behind Alonso.
- The first red flag occurred when Lance Stroll's Aston Martin crashed heavily at Turn 3, causing substantial damage to the right side of his car.
- Shortly after the restart, a Virtual Safety Car was deployed when RB's Isack Hadjar reported a loss of power and stopped on track at Turn 8.
- Later in the session, Alex Albon slid off track at Turn 1, dislodging his front wing and bringing out the second red flag.
- Other notable performances included George Russell (Mercedes) in fourth, local hero Max Verstappen (Red Bull) in fifth, and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) in sixth. Yuki Tsunoda (RB) finished P7, followed by Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in P8, Franco Colapinto (Alpine) in P9, and Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) rounding out the top ten.
What's next
Norris's consistent speed positions McLaren strongly for qualifying. Teams will now thoroughly analyze the limited running on harder compound tyres and assess the damage sustained in the crashes. The incidents highlight the challenging nature of the Zandvoort circuit, and drivers will be pushing for a clean run in Saturday's sessions to prepare for Sunday's race.