Lando Norris set the fastest time in the final practice session before qualifying at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday. He outperformed his teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull`s Max Verstappen, positioning himself as a strong contender for his first pole position since the opening round of the 2025 season.
After being slightly outpaced by Oscar Piastri, his championship-leading teammate, in both practice sessions on Friday at Imola, Norris reversed the situation in the crucial Saturday session.
Norris recorded his best lap on soft tyres with a time of 1:14.897, exactly one-tenth of a second quicker than Piastri. Piastri`s fastest lap, however, came on his second attempt with Pirelli`s new softest compound, suggesting the tyre performance might have been slightly less optimal.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull finished third, 0.181 seconds behind Norris. Interestingly, Verstappen`s quickest time was set on the theoretically slower medium tyre compound, as he was unable to improve his lap on the red-marked softs.
Verstappen has recently secured pole position ahead of McLaren in the last two Grands Prix and three of the previous four. Red Bull seems to have improved the handling of his RB21 car following a challenging start in Practice One.
Verstappen wasn`t the only driver whose fastest lap came on the medium tyres. Pirelli`s new C6 tyre, the quickest available this weekend at Imola, proved difficult for many to keep within its ideal operating window for the entire 3.05-mile lap.
Track conditions were cooler and cloudier on Saturday, which appeared to give McLaren an advantage, particularly in managing tyre performance.
Kimi Antonelli, the young Italian driver for Mercedes, improved late in the session on soft tyres to claim fourth place. However, he was still half a second adrift of Norris`s pace, underscoring McLaren`s strong performance, having secured one-two finishes in all practice sessions.
Charles Leclerc was the leading Ferrari driver again, finishing fifth. His teammate Lewis Hamilton, who reported issues with braking on Friday, was three-tenths further back in 10th after making a mistake and running into the gravel at the second Rivazza corner.
Williams continued to show promising pace with Alex Albon finishing ninth. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) took sixth, while Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls recovered well from his Friday crash to finish seventh, just ahead of George Russell in the second Mercedes.
Experts commented on the session, noting that tyre strategy for qualifying remains uncertain. They highlighted McLaren`s consistent pace at the front, albeit with a small margin, and questioned Red Bull`s ability to maximize performance on the soft tyres, potentially suggesting a qualifying battle similar to the one seen at Suzuka.
Emilia Romagna GP Practice Three Times
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:14.897 |
| 2) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.100 |
| 3) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.181 |
| 4) Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.502 |
| 5) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.554 |
| 6) Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.560 |
| 7) Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.611 |
| 8) George Russell | Mercedes | +0.765 |
| 9) Alex Albon | Williams | +0.835 |
| 10) Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.890 |
| 11) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.922 |
| 12) Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.047 |
| 13) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.078 |
| 14) Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.080 |
| 15) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.093 |
| 16) Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | +1.149 |
| 17) Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +1.213 |
| 18) Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1.313 |
| 19) Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | +1.341 |
| 20) Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.490 |
Emilia Romagna GP Schedule Highlights
- Saturday May 17
- 1:10 pm: F2 Sprint
- 2:10 pm: Emilia Romagna GP Qualifying build-up
- 3:00 pm: EMILIA ROMAGNA GP QUALIFYING
- 5:00 pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
- Sunday May 18
- 7:25 am: F3 Feature Race
- 8:55 am: F2 Feature Race
- 12:30 pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Emilia Romagna GP build-up
- 2:00 pm: The EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX
- 4:00 pm: Chequered Flag: Emilia Romagna GP reaction
- 5:00 pm: Ted’s Notebook
Marcus Prine