Kimi Antonelli topped the timesheets during opening practice for the Dutch Grand Prix, maintaining his momentum as Formula 1 returned from its summer break.
The Mercedes driver posted a 1m12.949s benchmark at Zandvoort, standing out as the only competitor to dip under the 1m13s threshold, while second place went to McLaren’s defending champion Lando Norris with a 1m13.070s.
Drivers quickly took to the track for the solitary practice run of this sprint weekend—which serves as Zandvoort’s F1 farewell—initially running intermediates on the damp coastal circuit.
But the surface was drying rapidly, with Nico Hulkenberg remarking “I think it’s slicks” almost immediately, meaning intermediate tyres were soon abandoned as Oscar Piastri switched to mediums just five minutes in.
The McLaren racer established the early pace at 1m23.311s—bettering intermediate-shod Lewis Hamilton’s top time by 2.251s—before trimming that down to 1m20.480s on his subsequent lap.
That major step forward highlighted the rapidly improving track conditions, as Antonelli shot to the top order with consecutive efforts of 1m18.264s, 1m16.112s, and 1m15.531s during his first runs.
As the times continued to tumble, Hamilton, George Russell, and Charles Leclerc all took turns leading the pack, while Antonelli survived a full spin at Turn 10 mid-way through the 60-minute session. “I have no idea what occurred there,” the Mercedes driver noted.
Aston Martin Racing’s Fernando Alonso on track
Photo credit: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
The pace intensified once soft tyre simulations got underway with 10 minutes left on the clock, as Piastri became the first to better Leclerc’s medium-tyre benchmark (1m14.146s) with a 1m13.608s.
Piastri did not hold the top position for long, however, as Leclerc went 0.261s faster to retake first place, before a 1m13.139s run from Ferrari teammate Hamilton put him 0.208s ahead of the Monégasque.
Yet more shifts occurred in the closing five minutes on a heavily congested track, with Norris claiming the fastest time of 1m13.105s, only for Antonelli to eclipse him by going 0.156s quicker.
This was sufficient to keep the championship leader—who currently enjoys a 50-point cushion over second-placed Hamilton—on top, as Norris failed to find any improvement on his final attempt.
A late shake-up saw third place change hands, however, with Antonelli’s teammate George Russell—who trails the Italian by 59 points—setting a 1m13.074s to edge out fourth-placed Hamilton by a mere 0.065s.
Leclerc secured fifth place with an effort that was 0.289s off the top speed, leading a comfortable margin over sixth-placed Piastri, whose 1m13.608s left the Australian 0.659s behind Antonelli.
Consequently, the standard leading trio of Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren claimed the top six positions, while seventh went to Audi’s Hulkenberg, who turned heads with a late 1m13.784s lap on medium compound tyres.
Yuki Tsunoda representing Racing Bulls
Photo: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
His teammate Gabriel Bortoleto used a comparable run plan to secure ninth with a 1m13.992s near the end, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly splitting the two with a 1m13.911s effort on hard tyres.
Racing Bulls newcomer Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten with a 1m14.285s during a disappointing outing for Red Bull, who saw Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar’s replacement Liam Lawson finish in 11th and 14th respectively.
The four-time title winner, who confirmed his contract extension on Thursday, complained about problems with downshifting and oversteer and suffered an off-track excursion heading into the final bend.
Action resumes with sprint qualifying later this Friday afternoon.
Dutch GP F1 – Practice 1 Standings
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