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Max fifth after Friday practice in Zandvoort: 'We still have the same problems'

Published on 29 August 2025 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen finished Friday practice of the Dutch Grand Prix in fifth place. Lando Norris was the quickest driver in FP2, followed by the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso. Norris’ McLaren team mate Oscar Piasti completed the top tree. Max’s Oracle Red Bull Racing team mate Yuki Tsunoda finished in seventh.

“We still have the same issues”, explained Max. “We tried a lot of things with the car, but it doesn’t change anything for the underlying problems.”

The four-time champ added: “We’ll check tonight if we can find anything, but I’m not expecting a big turnaround. The lay-out of the circuit also doesn’t really suit solving the problems we have in the car.”

Whereas FP1 was contested in the sunshine, the grey clouds have gathered around Zandvoort for the start of the second practice session of the weekend. The thread of rain is in the air as the session gets underway.

Liam Lawson is the first driver to hit the track. As he steers his Racing Bulls out of the garage, the rain appears to start, but never really persists, ultimately resulting in a fully dry session. Meanwhile, Max has bolted on a set of the hard Pirelli compound and clocks the fourth fastest time.

Fifteen minutes into FP2, the session is red-flagged for the first time; Lance Stroll has crashed his Aston Martin at the Hugenholtz corner. The AMR25 is heavily damaged, but the Canadian is thankfully not harmed.

After the marshals have swept the track and repaired the TecPro-barrier, the session is resumed, before a brief virtual safety car stops the proceedings again. This time, Isack Hadjar is the cause of the interruption after his VCARB has stopped in the middle of turn eight. After the Racing Bull is retrieved, the session continues in earnest with 30 minutes on the clock.

The second red flag of the session involves Alex Albon, who has beached his Williams in the gravel traps at Tarzan after out braking himself into the first turn. After a five-minute delay, the track is cleared with fifteen minutes to go in which nothing noteworthy happens. The times are not bettered as most drivers trundle around on the hard Pirellis, gathering data for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Contest Dutch GP: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing 2025 cap!

 

Results second free practice Netherlands:

posdriverteamtimelaps
1Lando NorrisNORMcLaren1:09.89027
2Fernando AlonsoALOAston Martin+0.087s19
3Oscar PiastriPIAMcLaren+0.089s28
4George RussellRUSMercedes+0.384s24
5Max VerstappenVERRed Bull Racing+0.588s22
6Lewis HamiltonHAMFerrari+0.848s21
7Yuki TsunodaTSURed Bull Racing+0.905s25
8Charles LeclercLECFerrari+0.944s22
9Franco ColapintoCOLAlpine+1.067s25
10Nico HulkenbergHULKick Sauber+1.190s24
11Oliver BearmanBEAHaas+1.223s25
12Kimi AntonelliANTMercedes+1.295s20
13Gabriel BortoletoBORKick Sauber+1.430s24
14Liam LawsonLAWRacing Bulls+1.449s24
15Esteban OconOCOHaas+1.471s22
16Carlos SainzSAIWilliams+1.792s29
17Alexander AlbonALBWilliams+1.866s16
18Lance StrollSTRAston Martin+2.085s7
19Pierre GaslyGASAlpine+2.232s27
20Isack HadjarHADRacing Bulls1