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McLaren dominates again in FP3 at Imola: Norris fastest ahead of Piastri in tight session

Carl Harrison by Carl Harrison
May 17, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
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McLaren dominates again in FP3 at Imola: Norris fastest ahead of Piastri in tight session

Formula One F1 - Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy - May 16, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris during practice REUTERS/Florion Goga

Lando Norris topped the timesheets in the final free practice session for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, clocking a 1:14.897 as McLaren secured their third 1-2 of the weekend, with Oscar Piastri just a tenth behind in second. The session once again highlighted the Woking team’s growing dominance, while others struggled to extract performance from the soft compound tyres in increasingly tricky conditions at Imola.

Verstappen quick early, but McLaren strikes late

Max Verstappen initially set the pace on medium tyres with a strong 1:15.078, the best time of the weekend at that point. But when the soft tyre runs began, most drivers struggled with grip, including Verstappen himself, who failed to improve after a messy final sector on the C6 compound.

Norris, on the other hand, managed his tyres well. He was cautious through the first sector, preserved his grip, and nailed the final lap, going fastest by over a tenth. Piastri, despite a small off earlier in the session, regrouped with worn tyres to close the gap and finish P2 just 0.103s behind his teammate, capping another strong day for McLaren.

Ferrari, Mercedes, and the midfield shuffle

Carlos Sainz ended FP3 as the best of the rest in P6, just ahead of Charles Leclerc, in a session where Ferrari looked better but still slightly off the pace compared to McLaren and Red Bull. Sainz’s best time came on used mediums and was only six thousandths quicker than Leclerc, showing how closely matched the Scuderia pair remain.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, on home soil, impressed again with P4 on the timesheets, although on a potentially lighter fuel load. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton both ran into difficulties with the softs, with Russell overdriving the Variante Alta and Hamilton only managing P10.

Rookie moments and yellow flags

Liam Lawson brought out a brief yellow flag after a spin at Tamburello that shredded his tyres but didn’t cause major damage. Franco Colapinto, Isack Hadjar, and Gabriel Bortoleto all had solid laps early on, though none threatened the top 10. Bortoleto in particular showed flashes of pace but ended up in P16, as Sauber struggled in long-run pace.

Top 10 – FP3 Imola 2025:

  1. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:14.897
  2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.103
  3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.181
  4. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.502
  5. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.542
  6. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.587
  7. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.593
  8. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +0.648
  9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.782
  10. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.841

Qualifying prediction uncertain as tyre behaviour confuses teams

The soft compound (C6) proved difficult to manage in FP3, with many drivers failing to improve despite green sectors. As a result, teams are heading into qualifying with uncertainty over tyre performance—particularly over a single lap. With conditions expected to remain stable but unpredictable, strategy and setup could be crucial.

McLaren enters qualifying as the clear team to beat, but with Red Bull and Ferrari lurking, and Mercedes showing signs of life, pole position is far from guaranteed. All signs point to a dramatic qualifying session this afternoon at Imola.

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