Dutch GP 2025 FP3 review: Lando Norris unstoppable, Ferrari continues to face setup and tyre challenges

Dutch GP 2025 FP3 review: Lando Norris unstoppable, Ferrari continues to face setup and tyre challenges. Check out the FP3 summary from the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-25, front wing, garage

Dutch GP 2025 FP3 results: Lando Norris unstoppable, Ferrari struggles

The 2025 Dutch Grand Prix FP3 – the third and final practice session at Zandvoort – saw teams looking for definitive answers ahead of qualifying, which starts at 15:00 and can be followed live on our website. After a Friday dominated by McLaren, the final practice provided a clearer picture of the teams’ performance and potential race pace.

FP3 took place in dry conditions, with rain that had been forecast failing to materialize. Teams were able to work under ideal circumstances. Air temperature was 20°C, track temperature 22°C, humidity 70%, and wind 3.7 m/s from the south. Pirelli brought the following tyre compounds: C2 Hard, C3 Medium, and C4 Soft.

Dutch GP 2025: FP3 summary

As is often the case in favorable weather, the session started slowly. Andrea Kimi Antonelli was among the first out, seeking to recover from a quiet Friday. He ran on medium tyres. Lance Stroll also took to the track to recover from yesterday’s crash. The AMR25 had been rebuilt overnight, which broke parc fermé rules, though no penalty was applied as this was the first of the two exemptions allowed.

The Ferrari drivers did an installation lap on hard tyres before returning to the pits. The SF-25 struggled through turns 8-9-10, highlighting the area that needs improvement. Lance Stroll was the first to run on soft tyres to regain reference points after yesterday’s incident.

Fernando Alonso also ran on soft tyres, confirming the positive progress seen yesterday. He led the session until the two McLarens arrived about 30 minutes in, taking first and second positions. Lando Norris led his teammate Oscar Piastri by seven-tenths over Max Verstappen (on C3) and Stroll’s AMR25 No.14. At this stage, Ferrari and Mercedes were still running on medium tyres.

The track improved rapidly. Lewis Hamilton, on medium tyres, climbed to P3 by his sixth lap. Oliver Bearman, on hard tyres, reached fourth. Charles Leclerc, on C3, was further back in P9. On his tenth lap, Leclerc approached Hamilton (P5), while George Russell was third on the same compound.

With fifteen minutes remaining, McLaren went out on fresh soft tyres, immediately improving lap times. Norris set a 1:08.972, with Piastri two and a half tenths behind. Russell was third, over eight tenths off the top, and Verstappen fourth, nearly a second from the lead.

For Leclerc, sixth place on C4 came with worrying gaps. The SF-25’s dynamic behaviour was disappointing, with constant instability through mid-corner. Hamilton aborted his first push and only managed a dismal 14th on his second attempt. Turns 8-9-10 remained a major issue for Ferrari, which struggled to keep tyres in the optimal temperature range, unlike the dominant McLaren.