Lando Norris set the pace in both free practice sessions at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort on Friday. The McLaren driver demonstrated impressive speed and consistency, topping the charts in FP1 and FP2.

In the first practice session, Norris initially set a fast time on medium tires before drivers switched to soft tires. He ultimately finished ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri. The second practice session saw Norris maintain his strong performance, setting a fastest lap of 1:09.890.

Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin was close behind Norris, finishing just 0.087 seconds adrift. Piastri was third, a mere 0.002 seconds slower than Alonso. George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes. Home favorite Max Verstappen was fifth, about six-tenths of a second off Norris' pace. Lewis Hamilton, Yuki Tsunoda, Charles Leclerc, Franco Colapinto, and Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10.

FP2 was disrupted by two red flags. The first occurred when Lance Stroll crashed heavily at the banked Turn 3, heavily damaging his Aston Martin. Stroll appeared to carry too much speed into the corner, locking up and colliding with the outside wall. The second red flag was brought out when Alex Albon went off at Turn 1, damaging his front wing and getting beached in the gravel.

Despite the stoppages, teams were able to gather valuable data in preparation for Saturday's qualifying session and Sunday's race. With the threat of rain looming, drivers were eager to get as much running as possible.

Norris' performance suggests that McLaren could be strong contenders this weekend. However, the close gaps between the top teams indicate a potentially tight battle for pole position and the race win. The teams will have one more free practice session on Saturday ahead of the crucial Qualifying session for the Dutch Grand Prix.