F1 Results Today: Lewis Hamilton fights back as champion SPLITS McLarens at Dutch Grand Prix… read more
F1 Results Today: Lewis Hamilton Recovers Strongly as Fernando Alonso Splits McLarens in Dutch Grand Prix Practice
The second free practice session at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix turned into a stop-start affair, though not because of the rain showers many had feared. Despite a few drops of moisture falling early in the running, conditions at Zandvoort remained dry enough for slick tyres throughout. Instead, the interruptions came from a series of on-track incidents that repeatedly halted the flow of the session.
The drama began with Lance Stroll, who suffered a heavy crash at Turn 3. The Aston Martin driver lost control of his car and smashed into the barriers, forcing the marshals to wave the red flags. The clean-up operation lasted more than ten minutes before the session could resume. Stroll’s accident left his team with a hefty repair job and ensured he completed very little running on Friday.
No sooner had the track gone green again than another problem emerged. Isack Hadjar, making his first Dutch Grand Prix appearance with Racing Bulls, ground to a halt before completing a single flying lap. Told by his engineers to stop the car on track, Hadjar’s issue triggered a virtual safety car period and left him rooted at the bottom of the timesheets with no recorded time.
Once normal running resumed, the action quickly heated up. Lewis Hamilton, who had struggled in the opening practice and finished only 15th, appeared far more competitive in the afternoon session. However, his push wasn’t without drama: the seven-time world champion lost control of his Ferrari, spinning through a full 360º pirouette. Fortunately, he avoided the barriers and was able to continue without damage.
Moments later, Alex Albon endured misfortune of his own. The Williams driver braked too late into a corner, nudged the tyre wall with his front wing, and then slid into the gravel. His car became stranded, bringing out the red flags for the second time. The stoppage further disrupted the rhythm of the session, leaving teams scrambling to maximise the remaining track time.
When the chequered flag eventually fell, it was Lando Norris who topped the timesheets with a 1:09.890, underlining McLaren’s strong form. Yet the headlines were arguably stolen by Fernando Alonso, who rolled back the years with a superb performance. The 43-year-old Aston Martin driver slotted into second place, just 0.087 seconds shy of Norris, and crucially split the McLaren pair by edging out Oscar Piastri by two-thousandths of a second. Alonso’s lap made him the only non-McLaren driver within three-tenths of the top pace, proving the Aston Martin still has life in it despite Stroll’s earlier crash.
Behind the top three, George Russell impressed with fourth for Mercedes, finishing ahead of home hero Max Verstappen, who continued to look slightly unsettled in his Red Bull. Hamilton’s recovery drive put him sixth fastest, a much-improved showing after his earlier struggles. The Ferrari man’s pace was enough to beat Yuki Tsunoda and team-mate Charles Leclerc, who wound up eighth.
The top ten was completed by Franco Colapinto, giving Alpine a morale-boosting ninth, and Nico Hülkenberg, who put his Kick Sauber tenth. Elsewhere, rookies Oliver Bearman and Kimi Antonelli delivered steady showings for Haas and Mercedes respectively, while Williams endured a difficult day with both Albon and Carlos Sainz down the order.
With the final practice session and qualifying still to come, the picture at Zandvoort remains finely poised. McLaren clearly holds the upper hand, but Alonso’s resurgence and Hamilton’s recovery suggest that Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix could be more competitive than expected.
Dutch Grand Prix FP2 – Top 10 Results
- Lando Norris – McLaren – 1:09.890
- Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin – +0.087s
- Oscar Piastri – McLaren – +0.089s
- George Russell – Mercedes – +0.384s
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull – +0.588s
- Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari – +0.848s
- Yuki Tsunoda – Red Bull – +0.905s
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari – +0.944s
- Franco Colapinto – Alpine – +1.067s
- Nico Hülkenberg – Kick Sauber – +1.190s
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