Championship leader closes the only free practice of the weekend ahead of Norris and Russell. Ferrari confirms good pace, Audi appears competitive, and rain still threatens the continuation of the round in Zandvoort.
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Formula 1 is back after almost a month-long break for the European summer holidays. The Dutch GP marks the start of the second half of the 2026 season and also Zandvoort’s farewell from the category’s calendar. In a Sprint weekend, drivers have only one free practice session to prepare the cars before the Sprint Shootout qualifying.
The morning started with a track quite different from usual. Heavy rain fell throughout the night in the Netherlands and, although it was no longer raining at the session start, the asphalt remained wet. Still, conditions evolved quickly as cars went out on track.
The weekend also began with an important change on the grid. Isack Hadjar suffered a wrist fracture and is out of the Dutch round. As a result, Liam Lawson was temporarily promoted to Red Bull, while Yuki Tsunoda returns to the grid taking the cockpit left by the New Zealander at Racing Bulls.
Another topic at the start of the practice was the technical development of the teams. Ferrari and McLaren arrived in Zandvoort with new upgrade packages, continuing the intense development battle that marked the entire first half of the season.
As soon as the pit lane opened, Nico Hülkenberg was the first driver to leave the pits. Audi started work using intermediate tires, but the German quickly reported over the radio that the track was too dry for that compound, although it was still not completely ready for slick tires.
The first times naturally came with intermediates. Hülkenberg recorded 1min26.555 and temporarily took the session lead, being soon surpassed by Lewis Hamilton, who lowered the time to 1min25.562. Franco Colapinto also appeared among the top runners as more drivers finally left the garage.
The big change in the session happened a few minutes later, when Oscar Piastri was the first to gamble on slick tires. The decision immediately showed that the track already offered enough grip for dry-weather compounds. The Australian took the lead with 1min23.311, knocking more than two seconds off the best time so far.
From that moment on, the rest of the grid quickly began to abandon intermediate tires. The race director officially confirmed that grip conditions were now considered normal, reinforcing that the track evolution was very fast.
Kimi Antonelli confirmed the trend shortly after. Also using slick tires, the championship leader found much more grip and set 1min18.264, reducing more than five seconds compared to Piastri’s time and taking the provisional lead.
With a practically dry racing line and very few puddles remaining, it became clear that persisting with intermediate tires no longer made sense. The session quickly shifted from a wet track practice to almost normal conditions, allowing teams to finally start their preparation programs for the Sprint Shootout.
The track evolution was evident every lap. George Russell was one of the first to break into the 1min16s range, momentarily taking second place, while Lewis Hamilton gradually improved and put Ferrari among the top runners.
Meanwhile, one of the most interesting topics of the session was precisely the driver swap between Red Bull and Racing Bulls. Liam Lawson made his return to the main team, while Yuki Tsunoda went back to Racing Bulls. In the first direct comparison, the Japanese was slightly faster, but Lawson was still completing his first flying lap.
Soon after, the New Zealander showed he had not forgotten how to drive the Red Bull car. Lawson put in an excellent lap and jumped to third position, confirming a very promising start in his return to the main team.
Ferrari also showed strength. Charles Leclerc quickly took second place, while Hamilton appeared right behind, keeping the Italian team among the protagonists as the track gained grip.
Read more Dutch GP 2026: the live Free Practice of F1 in Zandvoort
At Audi, Nico Hülkenberg continued extracting good performance from the car and confirmed that the team was starting the weekend well in Zandvoort.
Another team drawing attention was Aston Martin. The team debuted a new front wing and, especially, the update to the Honda power unit. Fernando Alonso quickly put the car close to the top 10, fueling the initial impression that the new package really delivered some extra horsepower.
Gabriel Bortoleto also started to appear as the track evolved. After a discreet start, the Brazilian put in good laps and entered the top 10, getting very close to the pace shown by the main midfield contenders.
From 20 minutes into the session, times dropped significantly. Russell, Leclerc, Hamilton, Norris, and Verstappen began to alternate the session lead as the track kept improving. Ferrari again confirmed the good pace shown before the break, while Mercedes and McLaren responded immediately.
Bortoleto kept up with this evolution. First, he beat Hülkenberg in the internal Audi duel and then lowered his time even more, reaching seventh position. The Brazilian occupied precisely the space between McLaren and Red Bull, showing that the German team found a good setup for the Dutch circuit.
Antonelli also had a curious moment when he spun alone during a quick attempt. The Italian completed a 360-degree spin and returned to the track without damage, admitting over the radio that he did not even understand the reason for the spin. Shortly after, he responded in the best possible way, returning to the top positions.
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz had a very complicated morning. The Spaniard went off track several times, scattered gravel on the circuit, and also received information from Williams that his car had suffered floor damage.
As is typical of a Sprint weekend, work programs were quite varied. Some teams ran qualifying simulations, others focused on race pace, and almost all slick compounds appeared on track during the session.
In the final part, teams went back to using fresher tires for a last quick attempt. Gabriel Bortoleto recorded a good lap on medium tires, enough to place him provisionally in sixth position, although he lost small tenths in all sectors compared to teammate Nico Hülkenberg, who was also using the yellow compound.
Norris briefly took the session lead, Russell put Mercedes back among the top runners, and Antonelli wasted a first attempt, appearing only outside the top 10. On the next lap, however, the championship leader nailed the racing line and set the best time of the practice, securing first position.
The checkered flag confirmed a very balanced session. Mercedes quickly found an excellent setup after the break, putting Antonelli in the lead and Russell very close. McLaren responded with Norris in second place, while Ferrari confirmed its potential appearing right behind. Further back, Audi and Alpine showed strength in the midfield pack, while Racing Bulls and Red Bull closed the top 10, giving the impression they still hid some performance for the rest of the weekend.
Now, there is no more time for adjustments. Since it is a Sprint weekend, the next commitment will be the Sprint Shootout, responsible for defining the grid for the Sprint race. Then will come the Sprint, the qualifying for Sunday’s GP, and finally the main race. All this with rain forecast hovering over Zandvoort, a factor that could become decisive in the upcoming sessions.
Check the result of the Dutch GP FP:
1) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1’12.949
2) Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes) 1’13.070
3) George Russell (Mercedes) 1’13.074
4) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 1’13.139
5) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1’13.238
6) Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes) 1’13.608
7) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) 1’13.784
8) Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Mercedes) 1’13.911
9) G.Bortoleto (Audi) 1’13.992
10) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford) 1’14.285
11) Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford) 1’14.325
12) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Honda) 1’14.511
13) Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Mercedes) 1’14.826
14) Liam Lawson (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford) 1’14.861
15) Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari) 1’14.874
16) Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari) 1’14.897
17) Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford) 1’15.110
18) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Honda) 1’15.199
19) Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes) 1’15.357
20) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac/Ferrari) 1’15.580
21) Sergio Pérez (Cadillac/Ferrari) 1’15.700
22) Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes) 1’16.345
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