Lando Norris positioned himself for a potential first pole position since the 2025 season opener during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, clocking the fastest time in the final practice session, surpassing Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen.
After being edged out by his championship-leading teammate Piastri in both practice sessions on Friday, Norris reclaimed the top spot in the final practice, setting a blistering time of 1:14.897 on soft tyres—just one-tenth of a second quicker than Piastri.
Max Verstappen from Red Bull finished third, 0.181 seconds behind. His best time was achieved on the slower medium compound, highlighting the fierce competition as he struggled to maximize performance on the softs.
Despite a challenging start in Practice One, Red Bull seems to have enhanced the handling of Verstappen’s RB21, as he seeks to maintain his streak of pole positions over Norris in the last two races.
Interestingly, multiple drivers, including Verstappen, also recorded their fastest times on the reportedly slower mediums. The new C6 tyre compound, debuting at Imola, has proven tricky to manage across the full lap.
Italian driver Kimi Antonelli made a late surge on the softs, securing fourth for Mercedes, yet remained half a second behind Norris, indicating McLaren’s continued dominance after consistent one-two finishes throughout the practice sessions.
Charles Leclerc rounded out the top five for Ferrari, while Lewis Hamilton’s troubles with braking left him in tenth, three-tenths slower than Leclerc.
Stay tuned for more updates as the Emilia Romagna GP unfolds…
ECNETNews Emilia Romagna GP Schedule
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
