After almost a month away from racing, Formula 1 was back at Zandvoort for the first practice of the Dutch Grand Prix. Lando Norris was the first out on track as the drivers started running on the medium tyres. Oscar Piastri set the first quick lap, before Alex Albon and then Max Verstappen took turns at the top. Lewis Hamilton had an early spin at the approach to Turn 3, flat-spotting his tyres but managing to carry on.

Not long after, Yuki Tsunoda went off the track, and rookie Kimi Antonelli got stuck in the gravel at Turn 9, bringing out the red flag. That was the end of his session after just a few laps. Once running restarted, Carlos Sainz also had a trip through the gravel as strong winds made life difficult for the drivers.

When the soft tyres came out, Norris was the first to make the switch and he immediately went fastest with a 1:10.278. His teammate Piastri tried to respond but could not beat him, while Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon and Lance Stroll all closed the gap. Verstappen waited until late in the session to try the softs but was slower than both Aston Martins and Albon’s Williams, giving the home fans little to cheer.

In the final minutes most teams focused on long runs with more fuel in the cars. Ferrari had a difficult time, Charles Leclerc only 14th and unhappy with the performance, while Hamilton ended up just behind him in 15th. George Russell had a late off-track moment but continued, and Verstappen finished his day with a slide through the Turn 1 gravel after a practice start.

At the end of the session Norris was quickest ahead of teammate Piastri, with Alonso third, Albon fourth and Verstappen fifth. Russell took sixth, Stroll seventh, Sainz eighth, Bortoleto ninth and Gasly rounded out the top ten.