McLaren Dominates Final Practice: Lando Norris secured the top spot in the final practice session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The McLaren driver’s fastest lap edged out his teammate Oscar Piastri by a mere tenth of a second, continuing McLaren’s strong showing at the Imola circuit. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished third, the closest challenger to the dominant McLaren duo.
Early Running and Hamilton’s Pace: The session began at a relatively slow pace under high temperatures, with the majority of the drivers taking to the track after the initial seven minutes. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was the first to set a competitive time, leading the way on Medium tyres with a lap of 1:16.983. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly briefly surpassed this benchmark, but Hamilton, continuing his run, reclaimed the top spot with an improved lap time of 1:15.866.
Verstappen Joins the Mix: Max Verstappen then moved to the forefront, setting a lap of 1:15.579 on Medium tyres. Piastri slotted in behind the Dutchman, just 0.254 seconds slower. Norris, also on Medium compounds, split the leading pair, lapping only 0.077 seconds off Verstappen’s pace, indicating a tight battle at the top.
Hadjar’s Brief Lead and Soft Tyre Simulations: Racing Bulls’ driver Isack Hadjar briefly topped the timesheets, a strong first sector contributing to his lap of 1:15.508. However, Verstappen, on a different set of used Medium tyres, quickly responded, setting a new fastest time of 1:15.130, which he further improved to 1:15.078. This time remained the benchmark on Medium tyres as the final third of the session began, prompting teams to switch to Soft tyres for qualifying simulations.
Challenging Soft Tyre Runs: The final 20 minutes of the session proved tricky for many drivers on the C6 Pirelli Soft tyres. Mercedes’ George Russell was the first to attempt a fast lap on Softs but made a mistake at the Variante Alta and aborted his run. Piastri also struggled to put together a clean lap on the Soft compound, ultimately backing out of his initial attempt. Verstappen also encountered difficulties, sliding wide on his first Soft tyre flyer, ruining his lap. He attempted another run later in the session but without success.
Norris Masters the Softs: Norris was one of the few drivers who managed to extract performance from the C6 Soft tyres. The British driver pieced together a strong lap across all three sectors, setting the fastest time of the session with a 1:14.897. On a subsequent push lap, Norris experienced a snap of oversteer at the Tamburello corner, running through the gravel before returning to the pits.
Piastri and Antonelli Impress: Piastri had a second attempt on the Soft tyres and managed to set a competitive lap. However, it wasn’t enough to surpass his teammate, leaving him in second place. Kimi Antonelli also delivered a strong performance on Soft tyres, improving from P13 to fourth with a lap of 1:15.399, delighting his home crowd.
Leclerc and Sainz Round Out Top Six: Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fifth, while Carlos Sainz put his Williams in sixth place. Behind them, Hadjar, Russell, Alex Albon in the second Williams, and Hamilton completed the top ten. The session highlighted McLaren’s strong pace and the challenges many drivers faced in optimizing the Soft tyres for qualifying.
Qualifying Practice Results:
- Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes): 1:14.897
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes): +0.100
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Honda RBPT): +0.181
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): +0.502
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): +0.554
- Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes): +0.560
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT): +0.611
- George Russell (Mercedes): +0.765
- Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes): +0.835
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): +0.890
Disclaimer: Formula 1 practice results are unofficial and for informational purposes only. Final qualifying and race outcomes may vary.
Source: FIA
AI Assistance: Gemini