Lando Norris set the pace as Formula 1 resumed after the summer break, heading a McLaren one-two in Friday’s opening free practice session at the Dutch Grand Prix. Norris produced a 1m10.278s lap on soft tyres to edge Oscar Piastri, who responded with a 1m10.570s, ensuring the team started the weekend strongly around Zandvoort’s demanding layout.
The one-hour session began in cooler and breezy conditions compared to the hot summer weather that dominated Europe in recent weeks. Oscar Piastri initially led the timing screens before Max Verstappen moved ahead on his Red Bull’s early run. Norris then steadily built pace and delivered his best lap on his second soft-tyre attempt.
Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli was the first major casualty of the session. Just 11 minutes in, he understeered wide at Turn 9 and beached his W16 in the gravel. That incident triggered a red flag while his car was retrieved. Yuki Tsunoda also spun at Turn 12 but managed to continue. The session restarted after eight minutes, only for Carlos Sainz to follow them off-track, spinning his Williams at Turn 12 before rejoining.
McLaren’s supremacy was underlined once Norris and Piastri completed their qualifying-style runs. Neither Verstappen nor Ferrari mounted a serious challenge. Verstappen, testing a new front wing to resolve understeer issues, finished only sixth on a 1m11.218s, nearly a second adrift of Norris. After the chequered flag, while making a practice start, he locked up into Turn 1, ending up in the gravel.
Aston Martin looked competitive again, with Lance Stroll placing third on a 1m10.779s after being briefly impeded by Tsunoda. Fernando Alonso was fourth on 1m10.841s, continuing his team’s strong form from Hungary. Alex Albon delivered another solid showing for Williams with 1m11.171s for fifth place.
George Russell brought his Mercedes to seventh on 1m11.386s despite a trip through the Turn 1 gravel. Team-mate Antonelli, by contrast, completed just six laps and ended 20th with a 1m14.275s on mediums. Behind Russell, Sainz posted 1m11.458s for eighth, while Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto impressed in ninth with 1m11.509s. Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten for Alpine at 1m11.613s.
Further down, Ferrari endured a muted start. Charles Leclerc managed only 14th on 1m11.951s, closely followed by Lewis Hamilton in 15th on 1m11.960s, nearly two seconds off the McLaren benchmark. Haas pair Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman ended 17th and 19th respectively, with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto slotting in 18th.
The field will reconvene for second practice at 3pm BST, where teams are expected to shift focus towards longer-run performance and race preparation.