Norris completes clean sweep of practice at Dutch Grand Prix

McLaren’s Lando Norris has completed a clean sweep of practice sessions, setting the fastest lap in all three hours, at the Dutch Grand Prix. 

Feature image credit: CC

Norris continued where he left off on Friday afternoon, after setting the fastest lap in both FP1 and FP2, as the Briton returned to the top of the timing boards with a storming lap time of 1m 8.972s. 

McLaren completed a 1-2 finish of the final practice hour as the championship leader, Oscar Piastri was the only driver to be within half a second of the leading driver’s time, 0.242s off the pace. 

Unlike the other two sessions, there were no red flag interruptions, allowing a clean hour to run through ahead of qualifying. 

The Zandvoort circuit was declared wet when the session started, with a handful of drivers, like Racing Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, heading out on a set of intermediate tyres. 

Embed from Getty Images

Others opted for dry-slick medium or hard tyres as the track continued to dry under the Dutch sun. As the track and session ramped up, more drivers filtered out with dry tyres equipped. 

Despite a clean hour, it wasn’t without its moments as Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso had a near miss with Mercedes’ George Russell late on in practice. 

Russell was coming across the circuit, towards the pit lane, as Alonso blitz up behind on a fast lap. As the Briton attempted to head into the pit lane, he squeezed the Spaniard towards the wall, and eventually Russell moved back onto the circuit, as Alonso was forced to enter the pit lane. 

As a result, this incident was noted and upgraded to an investigation, which is set to be completed between practice and qualifying. 

So, how did FP3 end?

1. Lando Norris, McLaren – 1m 8.972s
2. Oscar Piastri, McLaren +0.242s
3. George Russell, Mercedes +0.886s
4. Carlos Sainz, Williams +0.941s
5. Max Verstappen, Red Bull +0.953s
6. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +0.966s
7. Alexander Albon, Williams +1.127s
8. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +1.131s
9. Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls +1.194s
10. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +1.260s
11. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls +1.328s
12. Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull +1.377s
13. Gabriel Bortoleto, Kick Sauber +1.389s
14. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari +1.401s
15. Oliver Bearman, Haas +1.623s
16. Nico Hulkenberg, Kick Sauber +1.627s
17. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes +1.725s
18. Esteban Ocon, Haas +1.829s
19. Pierre Gasly, Alpine +1.991s
20. Franco Colapinto, Alpine +2.082s

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Two teams break curfew at F1 Dutch Grand Prix FIA confirms
• FIA fine team after pit lane breach during Dutch GP FP2
• Norris tops FP2 at F1 Dutch Grand Prix despite red flags
• Lando Norris tops F1 first practice back at the Dutch Grand Prix
• FIA confirm checks ahead of Dutch Grand Prix

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from ApexMotorsports.co.uk!

You can also support us on Patreon or our website!

Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.