Norris Defies Penalty to Lead the Pack as Verstappen and Hamilton Stu…read more
The final practice session of the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix delivered a thrilling mix of highs and lows, as Lando Norris put McLaren at the top of the timesheets while Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari continued their impressive resurgence. Meanwhile, reigning championship leaders Red Bull faced a string of setbacks that may compromise their weekend.
After what Norris had described as McLaren’s “worst Friday of the year,” Saturday’s FP3 brought a much-needed turnaround for the British driver. In a dramatic show of pace and precision, Norris bounced back to clock the fastest time of the session with a 1:11.799, giving McLaren hope heading into qualifying. This was especially important after teammate Oscar Piastri clipped the infamous Wall of Champions, puncturing his rear tyre and damaging his car, prompting a red flag from the stewards to clear the debris.
Ferrari, meanwhile, appear to be on an upward trajectory. Charles Leclerc was just 0.078 seconds behind Norris, securing second place in the session. Lewis Hamilton, who joined the Scuderia this season in a high-profile switch, also showed strong form by finishing fourth. Hamilton’s lap time was just 0.251 seconds off the pace, reinforcing the belief that Ferrari may finally be returning to consistent front-running contention.
George Russell delivered another solid performance for Mercedes, landing in third with a gap of just over a tenth of a second to Norris. His rookie teammate, Kimi Antonelli, continued to impress by finishing seventh, sandwiched between experienced names like Fernando Alonso, who took sixth for Aston Martin, and Piastri, who managed eighth despite his earlier incident.
Williams had a quietly effective session, with both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon posting identical times for ninth and tenth, respectively. It’s a performance that could set the team up well for a competitive qualifying session.
Further down the order, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson placed 11th and 13th, respectively, showing signs of promise but lacking the outright pace to challenge the frontrunners. Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto struggled for Alpine, with the latter under investigation alongside Yuki Tsunoda for red flag infringements. Tsunoda’s session was particularly dismal, as he spent most of the hour in the garage with his Red Bull’s brakes in disrepair. When he finally got on track, his best effort was only good enough for last place—over 1.7 seconds off the leader’s pace.
Red Bull’s woes didn’t end there. Max Verstappen, who leads the championship, was clearly frustrated by ongoing brake issues, describing a lack of bite around the Montreal street circuit. Still, he salvaged fifth place in the session—a testament to his skill but also a sign that Red Bull may not have the dominant weekend they hoped for.
As teams gear up for qualifying, the Canadian GP is shaping up to be an unpredictable affair, with multiple teams showing flashes of brilliance and others struggling to stay in the mix.
