McLaren put down another statement of intent as they dominated final practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah. Lando Norris topped the timesheets with a lap of 1min27.489sec which was 0.024sec faster than his team-mate Oscar Piastri.
The gap to the fastest non-McLaren car was enormous. George Russell was third for Mercedes but a full six tenths of a second slower than both McLaren drivers. Max Verstappen was fourth, a further two tenths back with Charles Leclerc in fifth and Alexander Albon in sixth being the final two cars within a second of the championship leaders.
There was further woe for Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, down in 12th and nearly 1.3sec off the ultimate pace. When informed by his race engineer that he was losing 0.7sec in the first and 0.4sec in the second sector to Norris he simply replied “Jeez”.
Rounding out the top 10 were Carlos Sainz for Williams, Pierre Gasly for Alpine, the second Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda and then Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes.
03:40 PM BST
Qualifying to come
That session starts at 6pm BST and we will be back with you a little after 5pm to build up to that.
03:39 PM BST
Those gaps, visually
2025 #SaudiArabianGP 🇸🇦 FP3 Results#F1#Formula1pic.twitter.com/xUvWI4ihe0
— F1Visualized (@f1visualized) April 19, 2025
At least it was close between the McLarens.
03:37 PM BST
We get the usual practice starts on the grid
I don’t need to point out how ominous that pace is from the McLarens. I’d be surprised if they were quite that far ahead come qualifying though. Lots of work to do for Ferrari. Well, for everyone really.
03:34 PM BST
Leclerc on the radio
“This I feel is the limit of the car. I cannot go faster in corners. It’s just sliding on all four tyres,” he says.
03:33 PM BST
FP3 – Classification
This is the top 10:
- NOR 1:27.489
- PIA +0.024
- RUS +0.627
- VER +0.845
- LEC +0.883
- ALB +0.900
- SAI +1.081
- GAS +1.136
- TSU +1.181
- ANT +1.190
Other notable drivers: Hamilton in 12th, Alonso 14th, Bearman 16th and Stroll 20th and last.
03:31 PM BST
FP3 ends – It’s another McLaren 1-2
No other car within half a second off either Norris or Piastri. Big.
03:31 PM BST
FP3 – Verstappen improves to go fourth
Still 0.845sec off Norris, though.
03:29 PM BST
FP3 – Into the closing stages
Not that many changes of position in the last few minutes, but Lawson is up to 13th, just behind Hamilton.
03:27 PM BST
FP3 – Piastri glances the wall!
I think. At the very least, he changes direction after getting very close to it. No harm done, though.
03:24 PM BST
FP3 – Some feedback for Hamilton
He is told he is losing 0.7sec in the first sector alone and 0.4sec in the middle sector. “Jeez,” he says. He looks to be in quite a pickle this weekend.
Norris improves a little to go fastest of all by 0.024sec. Sainz improves to go seventh.
That’s three more green sectors as Carlos sets a personal best for the session 🟢
Car 55 has climbed into P7 👊
— Atlassian Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) April 19, 2025
03:20 PM BST
FP3 – Updated top 10
- PIA 1:27.513
- NOR +0.158
- RUS +0.701
- LEC +0.859
- ALB +0.876
- VER +0.900
- TSU +1.157
- ANT +1.166
- SAI +1.383
- LAW +1.587
03:19 PM BST
FP3 – Leclerc goes fourth
But an enormous 0.859sec off Piastri. It’s worse for Hamilton: he’s in 13th and is not only 1.675sec down on Piastri but is also a whopping 0.816sec down on his team-mate…
03:16 PM BST
FP3 – Albon in fourth
Good lap, that. 0.876sec off Piastri’s time. Neither Red Bull can beat that with Verstappen nine tenths down and Tsunoda a further two tenths back, just ahead of Antonelli in the second Mercedes.
Verstappen complains about “weird engine braking”.
Leclerc on his latest hot lap is 0.719sec down on Piastri after two sectors. That is an age in this sport.
03:15 PM BST
FP3 – Performance runs still ongoing
Russell looks to be going fastest but will likely be beaten by the two McLarens. Piastri is on a mega lap. Absolutely mega.
Russell goes fastest by a quarter of a second from Piastri’s current best…
But Piastri beats that by 0.701sec! Eesh. Norris 0.158sec slower than Piastri.
Looks like any non-McLaren car is going to be fighting for scraps this weekend?
03:12 PM BST
FP3 – Onto some more running
Both drivers back out the garage for the final 20 minutes ⏰👊#McLaren | #SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/ngQpjRggkg
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 19, 2025
Track temperature at 47c, which is a fair reduction from the start of the session.
03:07 PM BST
FP3 – 24 mins remain
It’s a good lap from Albon who moves sixth and Charles Leclerc leaps ahead of Verstappen and is now 0.248sec away from Piastri’s time.
Sainz appears to be going well in the other Williams. He crosses the line to go fifth, 0.426sec off the fastest time of the day so far. Plenty of drivers still pushing out there, albeit on old soft tyres.
03:05 PM BST
FP3 – Mercedes looking a bit distant this weekend
Not sure why or if it’s down to an engine setting or something else. Anyway, Russell is fifth and Antonelli eighth.
03:02 PM BST
FP3 – Norris does another push lap
His eighth lap on this set of softs and it’s better but still 0.207sec off his team-mate’s time.
Verstappen then improves his lap time but stays third. Now 0.277sec off Piastri’s time. Tsunoda has improved to fifth,
03:00 PM BST
FP3 – Piastri blocked by Tsunoda
“Bro. This guy blind or what?” the Australian says on the radio in his own laid-back style. Piastri improves his time by a tenth or two to increase his advantage over Norris and the rest of the field.
Nico Hulkenberg has slipped into sixth which then becomes seventh. Tsunoda down in 17th for Red Bull, though with only five laps on the board.
02:56 PM BST
FP3 – Top 10 as it stands
- PIA 1:28.605
- NOR +0.158
- LEC +0.255
- VER +0.472
- HAM +0.583
- RUS +0.721
- BEA +0.967
- DOO +1.061
- GAS +1.151
- OCO +1.238
02:54 PM BST
FP3 – Piastri goes fastest
0.255sec faster than Leclerc. No real proper laps from Mercedes yet but that is about to change.
Norris looks to be improving on his lap.
It’s only sixth for Russell.
02:52 PM BST
FP3 – It’s fastest time of all for Leclerc
A 1:28.860 for Leclerc, so fastest by 0.217sec from Verstappen. He got a bit lairy in the final corner but I don’t think he touched the wall.
02:52 PM BST
FP3 – Verstappen’s first lap in anger
And it’s a quick one – he is 0.041sec faster than Oscar Piastri.
Ferrari looking quick-ish too. Hamilton goes third and just over a tenth of a second off Verstappen. What has Leclerc got? He gets very close to the wall at the final turn…
02:48 PM BST
FP3 – Piastri now in P1
0.548sec faster than Doohan. Norris then posts the fastest second and third sector times but is second ultimately – 0.085sec off his team-mate.
02:46 PM BST
FP3 – Doohan tops the times
Nearly six tenths faster than Bearman. Alpine team-mate Gasly was fastest in FP1 yesterday which suggests there is some pace in the Alpine this weekend.
Piastri posts a first sector time a quarter of a second up from Doohan.
02:44 PM BST
FP3 – Hamilton crosses the line second
His first flying lap on the softs was 0.115sec off Oliver Bearman’s fastest time so far. Ocon just behind Hamilton. Plenty of cars yet to run yet.
02:41 PM BST
FP3 – Hamilton is out
And he is on the soft tyres, too. He didn’t really get on with them yesterday so has plenty of understanding to gain, though he is using them quite early in the session here.
FP3 is underway with @LewisHamilton out first, shortly followed by @Charles_Leclercpic.twitter.com/MOvp3YjG2s
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 19, 2025
02:38 PM BST
FP3 – Doohan has beaten Bortoleto’s time
1.547sec ahead. Alonso, Stroll and the two Haas cars out on track. Liam Lawson, it seems, is about to leave the garage too.
02:35 PM BST
FP3 – Four cars on track
Bortoleto has set the first lap of 1:32.160 in the Sauber.
02:34 PM BST
FP3 – 57 mins remain
As expected, Bortoleto is out there early on. I imagine he will be attempting many laps in this session, regardless of the unrepresentative nature of the track conditions when it comes to qualifying later on.
02:31 PM BST
GREEN LIGHT: FP3 is go!
We are under way in final practice. Yuki Tsunoda’s car is in bits but I imagine he will be out OK in this session.
First up it’s FP3!
The green light is moments away… 👀#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/INeLtKwPZT
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 19, 2025
02:28 PM BST
We are nearly ready to go in FP3
I imagine Gabriel Bortoleto (below) will be keen to get out early having missed all of FP2 with a technical issue.
Suited and booted for FP3 In Jeddah 👊#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/mVOu19qU1Q
— Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber (@stakef1team_ks) April 19, 2025
02:26 PM BST
Norris sounds a note of caution
Well, sort of. He has struck this tone throughout the year. “I think at the minute we feel confident but the others are not far behind,” Norris said after second practice.
“I was probably hoping for a bigger gap than what we had today. We know we’re fast, we know we have a great car but certainly not comfortable, not as comfortable as what we would like. Nothing more than that, keep our heads down, focus on ourselves and see what we can do.”
“I think today has really been a day of trying to work on my driving, working on myself more than probably trying to work on the car. I think a good start to the weekend, productive, gaining confidence, gaining feeling. So from what I wanted to achieve today I think on the right tracks.”
02:19 PM BST
Current constructor standings
Williams and Haas both with excellent starts. Haas must be delighted, frankly, after their appalling Australian GP.
02:10 PM BST
Aston Martin prepared to offer Max Verstappen huge deal
Aston Martin’s Saudi backers are prepared to offer Max Verstappen £230 million over three years to drive for them in what has been described as the “deal of the century”.
Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which already owns 20 per cent of Aston Martin Lagonda and sponsors the F1 team through oil giant Aramco, is keen to take over ownership of the Silverstone-based outfit from Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, Italian reports claim.
The British-based team have long been linked with Verstappen. Having built a new factory, a new wind tunnel, a new simulator, and secured the services of the most celebrated F1 designer of the modern era in the shape of Adrian Newey, signing the best driver on the grid right now would be the logical next step.
02:04 PM BST
Current driver standings
Piastri has steadily eaten into a 23-point advantage that Norris held after the first race. That is now down to just three points. Russell and Verstappen doing the best they have with limited machinery (in different ways). Ferrari have not shown their best selves (by a long way), one sprint race aside.
01:56 PM BST
Watch: Tsunoda crashes out of FP2
RED FLAG 🚩
Yuki Tsunoda has put his Red Bull in the wall at the final corner 🏎️ pic.twitter.com/Ghgdt2SO0q
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 18, 2025
Tsunoda looked to be having a decent day yesterday until this happened towards the end of second practice. Will definitely dent his confidence on a track that requires spades of it. I think he has done a passable job so far in the second Red Bull seat, even a good one if you consider the context of the situation overall.
01:50 PM BST
Final times from second practice
- Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1min 28.267secs
- Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:28.430
- Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:28.547
- Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:28.749
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Williams 1:28.942
- Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Red Bull 1:28.963
- George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:28.973
- Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:29.106
- Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Kick Sauber 1:29.193
- Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:29.220
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Ita) Mercedes GP 1:29.242
- Isack Hadjar (Fra) RB 1:29.306
- Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Ferrari 1:29.371
- Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 1:29.488
- Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:29.662
- Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas F1 1:29.754
- Jack Doohan (Aus) Alpine 1:29.912
- Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:30.007
- Esteban Ocon (Fra) Haas F1 1:30.019
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Bra) Kick Sauber
01:42 PM BST
Good afternoon
Welcome to our live coverage for third and final practice for the 2025 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. So far we have had two practice sessions and almost everything we have seen has reinforced what we knew about the existing order, though with the usual caveats.
McLaren were fastest in second practice under lights on Friday and that is important because it is the most representative practice session. FP2 is run at roughly the same time and same conditions as qualifying (which comes later today) and the race on Sunday. In the end it was Lando Norris, championship leader, who was fastest, a little ahead of his team-mate Oscar Piastri. Piastri did not appear to fully maximise his qualifying simulation, mind you.
Max Verstappen was next in the Red Bull, around 0.2sec off whilst the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was fourth, which offered some encouragement for Ferrari. That said, he was nearly half a second off the ultimate pace of Norris. His team-mate Lewis Hamilton had a much more troubled session (we are getting used to these now, as I am sure he is), well outside the top 10 and more than a second slower than the lead McLaren.
When it came to the race simulation runs in FP2 McLaren looked the class of the field again. They were even further ahead of their rivals on the long runs which does not bode well for Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari. Yet again it looks like a straight shoot-out between Piastri and Norris (as is the case for the championship in general) but we have said that before and the final reckoning in qualifying has been a lot closer. Let us not forget that the circuit in Saudi Arabia has a tendency to bite drivers when they push in qualifying. It is that type of track.
Anyway, FP3 begins in about 45 minutes and we will be here for all of the updates.
McLaren put down another statement of intent as they dominated final practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah. Lando Norris topped the timesheets with a lap of 1min27.489sec which was 0.024sec faster than his team-mate Oscar Piastri.
The gap to the fastest non-McLaren car was enormous. George Russell was third for Mercedes but a full six tenths of a second slower than both McLaren drivers. Max Verstappen was fourth, a further two tenths back with Charles Leclerc in fifth and Alexander Albon in sixth being the final two cars within a second of the championship leaders.
There was further woe for Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, down in 12th and nearly 1.3sec off the ultimate pace. When informed by his race engineer that he was losing 0.7sec in the first and 0.4sec in the second sector to Norris he simply replied “Jeez”.
Rounding out the top 10 were Carlos Sainz for Williams, Pierre Gasly for Alpine, the second Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda and then Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes.
03:40 PM BST
Qualifying to come
That session starts at 6pm BST and we will be back with you a little after 5pm to build up to that.
03:39 PM BST
Those gaps, visually
2025 #SaudiArabianGP 🇸🇦 FP3 Results#F1#Formula1pic.twitter.com/xUvWI4ihe0
— F1Visualized (@f1visualized) April 19, 2025
At least it was close between the McLarens.
03:37 PM BST
We get the usual practice starts on the grid
I don’t need to point out how ominous that pace is from the McLarens. I’d be surprised if they were quite that far ahead come qualifying though. Lots of work to do for Ferrari. Well, for everyone really.
03:34 PM BST
Leclerc on the radio
“This I feel is the limit of the car. I cannot go faster in corners. It’s just sliding on all four tyres,” he says.
03:33 PM BST
FP3 – Classification
This is the top 10:
- NOR 1:27.489
- PIA +0.024
- RUS +0.627
- VER +0.845
- LEC +0.883
- ALB +0.900
- SAI +1.081
- GAS +1.136
- TSU +1.181
- ANT +1.190
Other notable drivers: Hamilton in 12th, Alonso 14th, Bearman 16th and Stroll 20th and last.
03:31 PM BST
FP3 ends – It’s another McLaren 1-2
No other car within half a second off either Norris or Piastri. Big.
03:31 PM BST
FP3 – Verstappen improves to go fourth
Still 0.845sec off Norris, though.
03:29 PM BST
FP3 – Into the closing stages
Not that many changes of position in the last few minutes, but Lawson is up to 13th, just behind Hamilton.
03:27 PM BST
FP3 – Piastri glances the wall!
I think. At the very least, he changes direction after getting very close to it. No harm done, though.
03:24 PM BST
FP3 – Some feedback for Hamilton
He is told he is losing 0.7sec in the first sector alone and 0.4sec in the middle sector. “Jeez,” he says. He looks to be in quite a pickle this weekend.
Norris improves a little to go fastest of all by 0.024sec. Sainz improves to go seventh.
That’s three more green sectors as Carlos sets a personal best for the session 🟢
Car 55 has climbed into P7 👊
— Atlassian Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) April 19, 2025
03:20 PM BST
FP3 – Updated top 10
- PIA 1:27.513
- NOR +0.158
- RUS +0.701
- LEC +0.859
- ALB +0.876
- VER +0.900
- TSU +1.157
- ANT +1.166
- SAI +1.383
- LAW +1.587
03:19 PM BST
FP3 – Leclerc goes fourth
But an enormous 0.859sec off Piastri. It’s worse for Hamilton: he’s in 13th and is not only 1.675sec down on Piastri but is also a whopping 0.816sec down on his team-mate…
03:16 PM BST
FP3 – Albon in fourth
Good lap, that. 0.876sec off Piastri’s time. Neither Red Bull can beat that with Verstappen nine tenths down and Tsunoda a further two tenths back, just ahead of Antonelli in the second Mercedes.
Verstappen complains about “weird engine braking”.
Leclerc on his latest hot lap is 0.719sec down on Piastri after two sectors. That is an age in this sport.
03:15 PM BST
FP3 – Performance runs still ongoing
Russell looks to be going fastest but will likely be beaten by the two McLarens. Piastri is on a mega lap. Absolutely mega.
Russell goes fastest by a quarter of a second from Piastri’s current best…
But Piastri beats that by 0.701sec! Eesh. Norris 0.158sec slower than Piastri.
Looks like any non-McLaren car is going to be fighting for scraps this weekend?
03:12 PM BST
FP3 – Onto some more running
Both drivers back out the garage for the final 20 minutes ⏰👊#McLaren | #SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/ngQpjRggkg
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 19, 2025
Track temperature at 47c, which is a fair reduction from the start of the session.
03:07 PM BST
FP3 – 24 mins remain
It’s a good lap from Albon who moves sixth and Charles Leclerc leaps ahead of Verstappen and is now 0.248sec away from Piastri’s time.
Sainz appears to be going well in the other Williams. He crosses the line to go fifth, 0.426sec off the fastest time of the day so far. Plenty of drivers still pushing out there, albeit on old soft tyres.
03:05 PM BST
FP3 – Mercedes looking a bit distant this weekend
Not sure why or if it’s down to an engine setting or something else. Anyway, Russell is fifth and Antonelli eighth.
03:02 PM BST
FP3 – Norris does another push lap
His eighth lap on this set of softs and it’s better but still 0.207sec off his team-mate’s time.
Verstappen then improves his lap time but stays third. Now 0.277sec off Piastri’s time. Tsunoda has improved to fifth,
03:00 PM BST
FP3 – Piastri blocked by Tsunoda
“Bro. This guy blind or what?” the Australian says on the radio in his own laid-back style. Piastri improves his time by a tenth or two to increase his advantage over Norris and the rest of the field.
Nico Hulkenberg has slipped into sixth which then becomes seventh. Tsunoda down in 17th for Red Bull, though with only five laps on the board.
02:56 PM BST
FP3 – Top 10 as it stands
- PIA 1:28.605
- NOR +0.158
- LEC +0.255
- VER +0.472
- HAM +0.583
- RUS +0.721
- BEA +0.967
- DOO +1.061
- GAS +1.151
- OCO +1.238
02:54 PM BST
FP3 – Piastri goes fastest
0.255sec faster than Leclerc. No real proper laps from Mercedes yet but that is about to change.
Norris looks to be improving on his lap.
It’s only sixth for Russell.
02:52 PM BST
FP3 – It’s fastest time of all for Leclerc
A 1:28.860 for Leclerc, so fastest by 0.217sec from Verstappen. He got a bit lairy in the final corner but I don’t think he touched the wall.
02:52 PM BST
FP3 – Verstappen’s first lap in anger
And it’s a quick one – he is 0.041sec faster than Oscar Piastri.
Ferrari looking quick-ish too. Hamilton goes third and just over a tenth of a second off Verstappen. What has Leclerc got? He gets very close to the wall at the final turn…
02:48 PM BST
FP3 – Piastri now in P1
0.548sec faster than Doohan. Norris then posts the fastest second and third sector times but is second ultimately – 0.085sec off his team-mate.
02:46 PM BST
FP3 – Doohan tops the times
Nearly six tenths faster than Bearman. Alpine team-mate Gasly was fastest in FP1 yesterday which suggests there is some pace in the Alpine this weekend.
Piastri posts a first sector time a quarter of a second up from Doohan.
02:44 PM BST
FP3 – Hamilton crosses the line second
His first flying lap on the softs was 0.115sec off Oliver Bearman’s fastest time so far. Ocon just behind Hamilton. Plenty of cars yet to run yet.
02:41 PM BST
FP3 – Hamilton is out
And he is on the soft tyres, too. He didn’t really get on with them yesterday so has plenty of understanding to gain, though he is using them quite early in the session here.
FP3 is underway with @LewisHamilton out first, shortly followed by @Charles_Leclercpic.twitter.com/MOvp3YjG2s
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 19, 2025
02:38 PM BST
FP3 – Doohan has beaten Bortoleto’s time
1.547sec ahead. Alonso, Stroll and the two Haas cars out on track. Liam Lawson, it seems, is about to leave the garage too.
02:35 PM BST
FP3 – Four cars on track
Bortoleto has set the first lap of 1:32.160 in the Sauber.
02:34 PM BST
FP3 – 57 mins remain
As expected, Bortoleto is out there early on. I imagine he will be attempting many laps in this session, regardless of the unrepresentative nature of the track conditions when it comes to qualifying later on.
02:31 PM BST
GREEN LIGHT: FP3 is go!
We are under way in final practice. Yuki Tsunoda’s car is in bits but I imagine he will be out OK in this session.
First up it’s FP3!
The green light is moments away… 👀#F1#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/INeLtKwPZT
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 19, 2025
02:28 PM BST
We are nearly ready to go in FP3
I imagine Gabriel Bortoleto (below) will be keen to get out early having missed all of FP2 with a technical issue.
Suited and booted for FP3 In Jeddah 👊#SaudiArabianGPpic.twitter.com/mVOu19qU1Q
— Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber (@stakef1team_ks) April 19, 2025
02:26 PM BST
Norris sounds a note of caution
Well, sort of. He has struck this tone throughout the year. “I think at the minute we feel confident but the others are not far behind,” Norris said after second practice.
“I was probably hoping for a bigger gap than what we had today. We know we’re fast, we know we have a great car but certainly not comfortable, not as comfortable as what we would like. Nothing more than that, keep our heads down, focus on ourselves and see what we can do.”
“I think today has really been a day of trying to work on my driving, working on myself more than probably trying to work on the car. I think a good start to the weekend, productive, gaining confidence, gaining feeling. So from what I wanted to achieve today I think on the right tracks.”
02:19 PM BST
Current constructor standings
Williams and Haas both with excellent starts. Haas must be delighted, frankly, after their appalling Australian GP.
02:10 PM BST
Aston Martin prepared to offer Max Verstappen huge deal
Aston Martin’s Saudi backers are prepared to offer Max Verstappen £230 million over three years to drive for them in what has been described as the “deal of the century”.
Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which already owns 20 per cent of Aston Martin Lagonda and sponsors the F1 team through oil giant Aramco, is keen to take over ownership of the Silverstone-based outfit from Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, Italian reports claim.
The British-based team have long been linked with Verstappen. Having built a new factory, a new wind tunnel, a new simulator, and secured the services of the most celebrated F1 designer of the modern era in the shape of Adrian Newey, signing the best driver on the grid right now would be the logical next step.
02:04 PM BST
Current driver standings
Piastri has steadily eaten into a 23-point advantage that Norris held after the first race. That is now down to just three points. Russell and Verstappen doing the best they have with limited machinery (in different ways). Ferrari have not shown their best selves (by a long way), one sprint race aside.
01:56 PM BST
Watch: Tsunoda crashes out of FP2
RED FLAG 🚩
Yuki Tsunoda has put his Red Bull in the wall at the final corner 🏎️ pic.twitter.com/Ghgdt2SO0q
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 18, 2025
Tsunoda looked to be having a decent day yesterday until this happened towards the end of second practice. Will definitely dent his confidence on a track that requires spades of it. I think he has done a passable job so far in the second Red Bull seat, even a good one if you consider the context of the situation overall.
01:50 PM BST
Final times from second practice
- Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1min 28.267secs
- Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:28.430
- Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:28.547
- Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:28.749
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Williams 1:28.942
- Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Red Bull 1:28.963
- George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:28.973
- Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:29.106
- Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Kick Sauber 1:29.193
- Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:29.220
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Ita) Mercedes GP 1:29.242
- Isack Hadjar (Fra) RB 1:29.306
- Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Ferrari 1:29.371
- Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 1:29.488
- Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:29.662
- Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas F1 1:29.754
- Jack Doohan (Aus) Alpine 1:29.912
- Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:30.007
- Esteban Ocon (Fra) Haas F1 1:30.019
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Bra) Kick Sauber
01:42 PM BST
Good afternoon
Welcome to our live coverage for third and final practice for the 2025 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. So far we have had two practice sessions and almost everything we have seen has reinforced what we knew about the existing order, though with the usual caveats.
McLaren were fastest in second practice under lights on Friday and that is important because it is the most representative practice session. FP2 is run at roughly the same time and same conditions as qualifying (which comes later today) and the race on Sunday. In the end it was Lando Norris, championship leader, who was fastest, a little ahead of his team-mate Oscar Piastri. Piastri did not appear to fully maximise his qualifying simulation, mind you.
Max Verstappen was next in the Red Bull, around 0.2sec off whilst the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was fourth, which offered some encouragement for Ferrari. That said, he was nearly half a second off the ultimate pace of Norris. His team-mate Lewis Hamilton had a much more troubled session (we are getting used to these now, as I am sure he is), well outside the top 10 and more than a second slower than the lead McLaren.
When it came to the race simulation runs in FP2 McLaren looked the class of the field again. They were even further ahead of their rivals on the long runs which does not bode well for Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari. Yet again it looks like a straight shoot-out between Piastri and Norris (as is the case for the championship in general) but we have said that before and the final reckoning in qualifying has been a lot closer. Let us not forget that the circuit in Saudi Arabia has a tendency to bite drivers when they push in qualifying. It is that type of track.
Anyway, FP3 begins in about 45 minutes and we will be here for all of the updates.
