FP3

The third practice session was marred by rainy weather, offering only challenging conditions for the drivers. The session didn't give drivers much time to gather data. The session was stopped when Logan Sargeant crashed, causing a very long red flag. After the track was finally cleared, the session resumed with only two minutes left, which everyone wanted to take advantage of, leading to a scramble among the drivers as they tried to set quick laps.

Pierre Gasly set the fastest time with a 1:20.311 on intermediate tires. Behind him was Kevin Magnussen, who was 0.139 seconds slower. The third place was secured by Valtteri Bottas, who was almost a second off the pace. The home hero Max Verstappen struggled in these conditions, as he finished 17th after he was observed crossing the pit exit line, which violated the Race Director's instructions. The other Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez, faced difficulties too, as he was not able to set a competitive time at all.

Overall, the session was a mix of strategic tire choices and attempts to manage the weather conditions, which set the stage for a potentially unpredictable qualifying session.

Qualifying

Lando Norris secured a stunning pole position, breaking the crowd's hopes that Max Verstappen would secure pole position. Norris set the fastest time of 1:09.673 during Q3 and beat Verstappen by 0.356 seconds. This was a significant achievement for McLaren, as it signaled that their upgrades were working effectively. Oscar Piastri performed well, qualifying third with a time 0.499 seconds behind Norris.

Overall, the session saw a mix of surprises, mostly involving Ferrari and Mercedes. George Russell qualified fourth, but his teammate Lewis Hamilton ended up in Q2 in 12th place, alongside Carlos Sainz, who finished 11th. Charles Leclerc finished sixth, behind Sergio Perez, who faced some frustrations due to an incident with Hamilton in Q1. The top ten was rounded out by Fernando Alonso in seventh, Alexander Albon in eighth, Lance Stroll in ninth, and Pierre Gasly, who ended in tenth place.

This qualifying session set the stage for an exciting race tomorrow, with Lando Norris on pole and Verstappen behind him, posing a significant threat on race day. Now we will have to wait for the race to see if it's going to be a battle between Verstappen and Norris, or if another driver will emerge from the shadows.