Norris and Piastri Lead McLaren in Dutch Grand Prix Free Practice 3

Lando Norris continued his impressive form at the Dutch Grand Prix, topping the timesheets in Free Practice 3 (FP3) at Zandvoort. The McLaren driver completed a clean sweep of the fastest practice times, finishing more than two-tenths of a second ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri. The McLaren duo demonstrated remarkable pace, leaving the rest of the field trailing behind.

The session began with a damp track after overnight rain, prompting a cautious start from the drivers. Isack Hadjar was the first to hit the circuit on intermediate tires, describing the track as "very green." Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli set the initial pace on medium tires before others joined the action.

Lance Stroll was the first to switch to soft tires, breaking the 1m 12s barrier. Antonelli and Fernando Alonso later improved on his time, with Alonso clocking 1m 11.082s. Norris then set a new benchmark of 1m 10.262s on softs, with Piastri trailing just a fraction behind on his first soft-tire run.

Max Verstappen moved up to third on medium tires but remained over four-tenths adrift of Norris. In the final 15 minutes, qualifying simulations took center stage as track conditions improved. Norris further lowered his fastest time to an impressive 1m 08.972s, a mark Piastri couldn’t match but still secured second place.

The strong performance from McLaren positions them as serious contenders for the qualifying session and the upcoming race. The team’s ability to adapt to changing track conditions and extract maximum performance from their car has been a highlight of the weekend so far.