McLaren demonstrated impressive speed in the final practice session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with Lando Norris finishing slightly ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri.
Norris clocked in a fastest lap of 1:27.489, just 0.024 seconds quicker than Piastri at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. George Russell in the Mercedes was a distant third, over six-tenths of a second behind, indicating a potential McLaren battle for pole position in the upcoming qualifying session.
Piastri had appeared to be the quicker McLaren driver for much of the session but made a mistake on his last flying lap attempt, while Norris improved his time to take the top spot.
Despite leading Piastri in the championship standings, Norris has acknowledged some inconsistency since his win in Australia and mentioned adjusting his driving style to suit McLaren`s 2025 car.
World Champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull was fourth fastest, narrowly ahead of Ferrari`s Charles Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton`s difficult start with Ferrari continued as he finished in 12th place, more than a second behind the McLarens and four-tenths slower than his teammate.
Williams again looked competitive, with Alex Albon in sixth position, followed by teammate Carlos Sainz.
Yuki Tsunoda finished ninth for Red Bull, having missed the initial part of the session due to repairs needed after his crash in the second practice.
McLaren`s strong performance is a clear signal to their rivals, but the expectation is that cooler conditions for qualifying might allow other teams to close the gap.
However, McLaren appears to be in a strong position to potentially secure their fourth pole position in five qualifying sessions this season.
Sky Sports F1`s Karun Chandhok commented that McLaren might have increased engine power or reduced fuel load in the car.
Chandhok suspects the gap to Russell, Verstappen, and McLaren will be smaller in qualifying, referencing a similar situation in Bahrain.
He added that McLaren may be aiming to gain more performance data from FP3 and provide drivers with extra practice, which has been effective as demonstrated by their pole positions except for Japan.
Saudi Arabian GP Practice Three Timesheet
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:27.489 |
| 2) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.024 |
| 3) George Russell | Mercedes | +0.627 |
| 4) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.845 |
| 5) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.883 |
| 6) Alex Albon | Williams | +0.900 |
| 7) Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1.081 |
| 8) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.136 |
| 9) Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +1.181 |
| 10) Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +1.190 |
| 11) Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +1.280 |
| 12) Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +1.291 |
| 13) Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.372 |
| 14) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1.399 |
| 15) Jack Doohan | Alpine | +1.409 |
| 16) Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.500 |
| 17) Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | +1.731 |
| 18) Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.847 |
| 19) Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | +1.921 |
| 20) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.989 |
Sky Sports F1`s Saudi Arabian GP Schedule
- 4.10pm: F2 Sprint
- 5.10pm: Saudi Arabian GP Qualifying build-up
- 6pm: SAUDI ARABIAN GP QUALIFYING
- 1pm: F1 Academy Race 2
- 2.20pm: F2 Feature Race
- 4.30pm: Saudi Arabian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
- 6pm: THE SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX*
- 8pm: Saudi Arabian GP reaction: Chequered flag
*Also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 continues its first triple-header of 2025 in Jeddah with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.
Marcus Prine