McLaren Shows Pace in Final Preparation for Jeddah Qualifying: The final practice session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw McLaren emerge as the team to beat, with Lando Norris topping the timesheets just 0.024 seconds ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri. The McLaren duo demonstrated impressive pace around the challenging Jeddah Street Circuit, finishing a significant six tenths clear of Mercedes’ George Russell in third. The session, run in hot track temperatures of 52˚C, provided teams with crucial final data ahead of the all-important qualifying session later in the day.
Early Laps and Shifting Order at the Top: The session began somewhat cautiously before Alpine’s Jack Doohan set the initial benchmark on Soft tyres. Haas’ Esteban Ocon briefly took the lead before the McLaren drivers entered the fray. Piastri quickly established himself at the top with a lap of 1:29.118 on the Soft compound, with Norris slotting into second, just eight-hundredths of a second adrift. Haas’ Oliver Bearman initially impressed, placing fourth. Championship leader Max Verstappen then put in his first flying lap on Softs, briefly taking P1 before Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, despite a near-miss in the final corner, went even faster.
McLaren Responds and Sets the Qualifying Tone: As the session progressed, McLaren continued to show their hand. Piastri reclaimed the top spot, lowering the benchmark with each subsequent lap. Verstappen attempted to respond, but Piastri’s lap of 1:27.513 put a significant gap between himself and the rest of the field. Only Norris was able to get close, slotting into second place, 0.158 seconds behind his teammate. Towards the end of the session, with teams switching to new Soft tyres for qualifying simulations, Norris found even more pace, setting a blistering lap of 1:27.489 to snatch the top spot from Piastri by a mere two hundredths of a second. Piastri, pushing hard on his final lap, clipped the barriers and was forced to abort. Verstappen managed to improve on his final run, climbing to fourth ahead of Leclerc.
Competitive Field Behind the McLarens: While McLaren demonstrated clear front-running pace, the battle behind them remained tight. George Russell secured third place for Mercedes, albeit some distance behind the McLarens. Max Verstappen, after looking strong earlier in the session, ultimately finished fourth. Charles Leclerc completed the top five for Ferrari. Williams’ Alex Albon put in a strong showing to take sixth place, ahead of Carlos Sainz in seventh (driving the second Williams due to his ongoing recovery). Alpine’s Pierre Gasly finished eighth, with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Mercedes’ rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli rounding out the top ten. The final practice session suggested a potentially exciting qualifying session, with McLaren looking particularly strong but the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull eager to close the gap.
Free Practice 3 Results:
- Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes) – 1:27.489
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes) – +0.024
- George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.627
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Honda RBPT) – +0.845
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.883
- Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes) – +0.900
- Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes) – +1.081
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Renault) – +1.136
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull/Honda RBPT) – +1.181
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +1.190
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT) – +1.280
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +1.291
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT) – +1.372
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Mercedes) – +1.399
- Jack Doohan (Alpine/Renault) – +1.409
- Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari) – +1.500
- Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber/Ferrari) – +1.731
- Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari) – +1.847
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber/Ferrari) – +1.921
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Mercedes) – +1.989
Disclaimer: Practice session results are preliminary and do not determine the outcome of qualifying or the race. Track conditions and car setups can change significantly.
Source: Fia
AI Assistance: Gemini