Lando Norris leads Piastri in final Emilia Romagna GP practice session
Norris sets fastest lap on new super-soft tyres as McLaren secures another 1-2 in Imola.
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| Lando Norris of Great Britain drives the #4 McLaren MCL39 Mercedes off track during final practice for the F1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on May 17, 2025, in Imola, Italy. Photo by Sam Bagnall/Sutton Images |
By Widya Putri and Amanda Zahra
The session, held under clear skies at the iconic Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, saw Lando Norris lead the final Emilia Romagna GP practice by clocking a lap of 1:14.897 on Pirelli's newly introduced C6 ‘super-soft’ compound. This tyre, originally designed for street circuits, proved decisive for Norris as he edged out Piastri by just 0.100 seconds.
Norris’ performance came as a timely response after a series of commanding displays by Piastri, who had won four races in a row and led both Friday sessions. The Australian leads the championship by 16 points, making Norris’ return to the top especially significant heading into Saturday's qualifying session and Sunday’s race.
McLaren continues to pressure Red Bull
The McLaren 1-2 left Red Bull’s Max Verstappen trailing in third, 0.181 seconds off the pace, continuing a trend of narrowing performance gaps between the top teams. Verstappen, who is looking to regain his dominant form after inconsistent results in recent rounds, had led early in the session using medium tyres but was unable to match the pace of Norris on the super-softs.
Mercedes' teenage prodigy Kimi Antonelli delivered another impressive drive to finish fourth, much to the delight of Italian fans. Born just 40 kilometers away in Bologna, Antonelli recovered well from a tough Friday to place his car just behind the frontrunners. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Williams’ Carlos Sainz, and Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar followed closely in fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively.
George Russell placed eighth in the second Mercedes, ahead of Alex Albon in the second Williams. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top ten in his Ferrari, while Fernando Alonso improved to 11th for Aston Martin.
Hamilton still searching for answers
Hamilton, who has struggled to adapt to his new team this season, voiced concern over persistent brake issues. “Each time we try a new setting, it’s a roll of the dice,” he said. Despite the frustration, he maintained a light-hearted tone, masking the tension as his winless streak extends beyond six races.
He was among the first drivers to post a flying lap on Saturday, setting a 1:16.983 in the early stages before being gradually pushed down the order as conditions improved and others switched to softer compounds.
An unpredictable session marked by tyre experimentation
The session was marked by extensive experimentation with Pirelli’s new C6 tyres, with teams uncertain about their behavior ahead of qualifying and the race. Gasly briefly topped the session before Hamilton improved to 1:15.866. Verstappen then jumped to the top with a 1:15.579 before Leclerc, Hadjar, and others traded fastest laps.
At this point, most teams were still running medium tyres, and Verstappen showed strong form with a 1:15.130 — a lap that temporarily held the top spot. However, as the track continued to evolve under the midday sun, lap times began to fall rapidly.
That momentum was disrupted when Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson spun at high speed through Tamburello, flat-spotting his tyres and bringing out a yellow flag. Teams then began switching to the super-softs with about 18 minutes left in the session.
Super-softs shake up the order
While some, including Piastri and Verstappen, aborted their flying laps due to errors or balance issues, Norris managed to put together a clean and composed lap on the super-softs to reclaim the top spot. His 1:14.897 lap became the session benchmark, ahead of Verstappen’s earlier time on mediums.
Despite concerns over the C6 compound’s durability — it is not expected to play a major role in Sunday’s race — Norris’ run demonstrated that extracting one-lap pace is possible with the right setup and timing. His performance may prove vital in the closely contested qualifying session to follow.
Antonelli capitalized on the soft tyres to move into fourth place, impressing the local crowd and suggesting Mercedes might be ready to challenge the top three teams. Others, however, struggled to extract meaningful gains from the softest compound, voicing concerns that the C6s lacked the grip necessary for optimal performance.
Strategic unknowns ahead of qualifying and race day
The wide range of lap times and unpredictable behavior of the tyres have left teams with strategic uncertainties heading into the business end of the weekend. While McLaren appears confident, Red Bull and Ferrari may still have performance in hand for qualifying.
More importantly, Sunday's race looks set to be a strategic battle, with tyre degradation, track temperature, and pit stop timing likely to play crucial roles. The new C6 compound has added a layer of complexity that could reward teams willing to gamble on bold tyre strategies.
For Lando Norris, this session marks a crucial turning point as he looks to halt Piastri’s championship momentum. While practice times rarely tell the whole story, the speed Norris showed suggests he is ready to fight back.
As fans gather at Imola for qualifying, the script remains unwritten. What is clear, however, is that the Emilia Romagna GP is shaping up to be a weekend of fine margins, fast laps, and fierce rivalries.
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- Team boss Andrea Stella says McLaren remains fully alert in F1 title battle with Max Verstappen.
