Dutch Grand Prix: Free Practice 3: Pierre Gasly first in the rain and a shortened session

The green lights turned on at 11:30 on the Zandvoort circuit… but no driver decided to take the track directly, as the track was still very wet. After two minutes in this session, Hülkenberg decided to take the track with his Haas, accompanied by his Danish teammate Kevin Magnussen as well as Valtteri Bottas. However, Hülkenberg, after just one lap, returned to the pits and reported that intermediate tires were preferable, with the tires being directly mounted on Oscar Piastri’s single-seater. The Australian also made a small mistake at the entrance to the final sector by putting his wheels in the gravel.

The winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Piastri, set the first reference time in 1:24.176, closely followed by Fernando Alonso. Lance Stroll then wedged himself between the two. But the notable incident of this first part was that of Hülkenberg, who lost control in the final sector. The German reported the same problem as on Friday: as soon as he brakes, the car’s tires lock. The incident was also noted by the stewards, with the FIA considering that he drove with an illegal car since his front wing was below the monopole.

Serious accident for Sargeant

The wet track caught several drivers, including Kevin Magnussen and George Russell, who went off track at the first turn. The biggest incident was that of Logan Sargeant, who lost control of his Williams after putting his wheels in the grass at the exit of the third turn. His car sustained significant damage and caught fire, forcing the FIA to interrupt the session with a red flag. Before the incident, Alonso had taken the lead in the standings ahead of Piastri and his teammate Lance Stroll.

After a 40-minute break, the drivers returned to the track, except for Sargeant and Alonso. Max Verstappen, in his pursuit of a quick time, overtook Piastri and Russell in the pit lane, attracting the attention of the FIA for a possible violation, as the Dutch driver had indeed crossed the pit lane line.

In drier conditions, several drivers improved their times, notably Kevin Magnussen, who temporarily took the lead before being overtaken by Pierre Gasly in his Alpine. Valtteri Bottas completed the podium of this shortened session, promising a particularly uncertain qualifying session.

The classification of Free Practice 3 of the Dutch Grand Prix