Kimi Antonelli edges Lando Norris in crucial sole F1 practice at Dutch Grand Prix
Kimi Antonelli sets the pace from Lando Norris in practice at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Formula 1 championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the pace in the sole practice session at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Antonelli, who leads the championship by 50 points from Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, edged out Lando Norris to the fastest time by just 0.121 seconds in a competitive practice session at Zandvoort.
George Russell was only 0.125s behind his Mercedes team-mate as he took third, ahead of the Ferraris of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, with the top five covered by less than three tenths of a second.
2026 F1 Zandvoort: Full Dutch GP Friday practice results
Mercedes has not brought a major upgrade to the Netherlands, while rivals McLaren and Ferrari have continued their respective aggressive development pushes in a bid to catch the Silver Arrows.
Oscar Piastri took seventh in the other McLaren but ended up 0.659s off the pace.
It was a strong session for Audi, with Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto split by Pierre Gasly’s Alpine as they took seventh and ninth, while Arvid Lindblad completed the top-10 in his Racing Bulls.
Home hero Max Verstappen, who has signed a new long-term contract extension to keep him at Red Bull until at least 2030, was only 11th ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
Liam Lawson finished 14th in his first session since making an unexpected return to Red Bull, having replaced Isack Hadjar, who has been sidelined from the weekend due to picking up a wrist injury while training over the F1 summer break.
Hadjar’s absence also paved the way for a shock F1 return for Yuki Tsunoda, who was 17th-fastest in his Racing Bulls.
There is work to do for Williams, with Alex Albon only 19th and Carlos Sainz ending up slowest of all in 22nd. Both drivers committed their immediate futures to the struggling British outfit earlier this week.
Practice began in damp conditions with dark skies overhead as the field initially went out on intermediates, though the track quickly dried up within minutes, resulting in a quick switch to slick tyres.
Attentions will now turn to the first competitive action of the weekend at Zandvoort, with sprint qualifying taking place at 3.30pm UK time.
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