Why it matters:
Lando Norris topped both Friday practice sessions at the Dutch Grand Prix, but the surprising speed of Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso indicates a tighter battle than McLaren might have hoped for. Alonso notably split the McLaren drivers in FP2, just 0.087s behind Norris.
The details:
- Norris set the pace at Zandvoort as F1 returned from the summer break.
- Lance Stroll secured third in FP1, behind Norris and Oscar Piastri.
- Fernando Alonso improved to second in FP2, demonstrating Aston Martin's strong showing.
- Aston Martin's performance seemed to outpace usual McLaren contenders like Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes on Friday.
- Norris acknowledged Aston Martin's progress: "Aston are never that far off in FP2; they've quite often and consistently been decent in FP2, and they've been getting better. Even in Budapest, they were pretty quick."
- He added that while it's "not a big surprise at the moment that they look the quickest," he expects Max Verstappen and the other top teams to find pace: "Max is also certainly not far off, and he was on a harder tyre... Red Bull and Ferrari seemed to struggle today, but they are normally like that and then fine on Saturday."
Looking ahead:
- McLaren focused on understanding their car, but Norris admitted that not everything went as planned.
- Potential rain for qualifying and Sunday's race could significantly impact strategies and outcomes.
- Norris emphasized concentrating on McLaren's own performance amidst the evolving conditions.