Lando Norris led the opening practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix with formidable pace, marking McLaren's strong return after the Formula 1 summer break. The session concluded with a bizarre incident involving home favourite Max Verstappen, who beached his Red Bull in the gravel trap after the chequered flag.
Why it matters
Norris's dominant performance, almost three-tenths faster than teammate Oscar Piastri, immediately positions McLaren as a serious contender at Zandvoort. Conversely, Red Bull's struggles, highlighted by Verstappen's off-track excursion and Yuki Tsunoda's multiple gravel trips, raise questions about their post-break form. Mercedes and Ferrari also faced significant challenges, suggesting a shake-up in the pecking order.
The big picture
The first session back from the summer break painted a contrasting picture for the grid's top teams. McLaren appears to have carried its pre-break momentum, while Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari seemed to be off the pace, with costly errors and expressed frustrations. This creates an unpredictable setup for the remainder of the Dutch GP weekend.
The details
- McLaren's Dominance: Lando Norris set a blistering 1m10.278s lap, over two seconds faster than his FP1 time at Zandvoort last year, and 0.292s ahead of Oscar Piastri. This strong showing highlights McLaren's impressive pace.
- Red Bull's Woes: Max Verstappen, after an early lead, finished sixth, nearly a second off Norris. His session ended with a peculiar incident, running too deep into Tarzan corner after a practice start and getting stuck. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda, in the same car specification, was 16th after several excursions into the gravel.
- Midfield Surprises: Aston Martin's Lance Stroll secured third, just half a second behind Norris, with Fernando Alonso in fourth. Williams also impressed, with Alex Albon finishing fifth and Carlos Sainz eighth.
- Top Teams Struggle: Mercedes' George Russell was seventh, 1.140s off the pace, also having run wide at Tarzan. Teammate Kimi Antonelli caused a red flag just 10 minutes into the session by beaching his car at Marlboro. Ferrari fared even worse, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in 14th and 15th, both almost 1.7 seconds behind. Leclerc voiced frustration, stating, "we are miles off; miles off." Hamilton also experienced a 360-degree spin.
Practice Results
- Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m10.278s
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.292s
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.501s
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.563s
- Alex Albon (Williams) +0.893s
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.940s
- George Russell (Mercedes) +1.108s
- Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1.180s
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +1.231s
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.335s
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1.475s
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +1.494s
- Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +1.597s
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +1.673s
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +1.682s
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +1.848s
- Esteban Ocon (Haas) +1.866s
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1.998s
- Ollie Bearman (Haas) +2.286s
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +3.997s