After a rainy morning in Zandvoort, the track has been declared ‘wet’ for the start of the weekend’s final practice session. Teams will need to adjust their setups, focusing on tyre choices that can handle the increased moisture. Every driver will see this session as a crucial opportunity to assess their performance in challenging circumstances ahead of qualifying this afternoon.

With 56 minutes to go, Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar was the first car on track to test the conditions. His early assessment was crucial for the team’s strategy in the upcoming race.

A slow start to the session, with 47 minutes to go, saw only four drivers setting times on slick tyres. The Sauber of Hulkenberg set the quickest time so far on a lap of 1:12.612.

Fernando Alonso continued to prove the Aston Martins were currently the best of the rest after yesterday’s track sessions. With 39 minutes to go, he went fastest, but not too soon after Norris topped the tables with an impressive lap time of 1:10.262.

Piastri was quicker than teammate Norris in the first sector at 36 minutes to go, but was unable to maintain his time for the rest of the lap. The driver came in second, 0.071 s behind the leader.

At 30 minutes to go, Hamilton took the Ferrari to third, three tenths off Norris’ time, whilst Piastri topped the time by 0.143 s over his teammate.

Antonelli reported problems with his downshift paddle with 16 minutes to go. This was not ideal for him or the driver, especially as final qualifying preparations began.

With 14 minutes to go, Lando Norris went purple in all three sectors, ultimately beating his own pole time from last year by seven tenths. Two minutes later, Oscar Piastri was unable to match Norris’ time, ending up 0.242 s behind.

A Near Miss at the Pit Lane Entry

Just under 10 minutes to go, and there was almost an incident between Russell and Alonso at the entrance to the pit lane, highlighting the importance of clear communication from the driver.

Russell intended to pit but wasn’t clear on his exit from the final corner. Alonso attempted to overtake on the inside but had to veer into the pit lane as Russell moved right. Consequently, Alonso pitted when he wanted to stay out, while Russell stayed on track despite planning to pit. No damage occurred, but the stewards are reviewing the incident.

Chequered Flag

Once again, Lando Norris (1:08.972) tops the timesheets after dominating every practice session this weekend. Piastri, another skilled driver, came in second place (+0.242), followed by Russell in third (+0.886).