ANTONELLI LEADS FIRST PRACTICE IN ZANDVOORT AHEAD OF NORRIS AND RUSSELL
Kimi Antonelli started the second half of the Formula 1 season in the best possible way, setting the fastest time in the only free practice session of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend. The Mercedes driver finished ahead of Lando Norris and his teammate George Russell.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed the top five for Ferrari. The team brought a new floor to Zandvoort, but neither Ferrari used the new specification during FP1. Both drivers instead started the weekend with the previous version.
The Dutch Grand Prix is also the first Sprint weekend ever held at Zandvoort. This gives teams only one free practice session before Sprint qualifying, making every lap important. The session also started with a damp track, while uncertain weather conditions are expected to remain a factor throughout the weekend.
Several drivers began the session on intermediate tyres before switching to slicks as the track improved. Pirelli has selected the C2, C3 and C4 compounds for the weekend, with the C2 hard, C3 medium and C4 soft available to the teams.
Ferrari and Mercedes initially focused on the medium tyre. Hamilton set the early benchmark, only 0.010 seconds faster than Antonelli. Red Bull took a different approach, with Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson running the hard tyre. Lawson is replacing Isack Hadjar this weekend after the Racing Bulls driver suffered a wrist injury.
Verstappen also reported problems with the car over team radio, including issues during downshifts. The home favourite struggled to find a comfortable balance and remained outside the top 10 for much of the session.
As the track improved, Leclerc moved to the top of the timing sheets and gave Ferrari a temporary one-two ahead of the two Mercedes cars. Norris was further back in fifth at that stage, around half a second from the fastest Ferrari.
McLaren arrived in Zandvoort with a package of aerodynamic updates. The changes include work around the engine cover, rear wing and rear wheel area as the team looks to continue its progress after Norris took McLaren’s first win of the season in Hungary before the summer break.
With around 15 minutes remaining, the teams began their qualifying simulations on soft tyres. The track temperature was around 29°C, with the air at 19°C. Grip continued to improve with every lap, but traffic became an important issue as more drivers looked for clear laps.
Antonelli produced his best lap almost at the end of the session. His 1:12.949 was enough to put him at the top of the standings, just over one tenth ahead of Norris.
Russell finished third, only four thousandths behind Norris. Hamilton was fourth, followed by Leclerc, who failed to improve on his final attempt after making several mistakes in the first sector. The Ferrari appeared more difficult to control through the opening part of the lap.
Oscar Piastri finished sixth, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto. Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10, while Verstappen ended FP1 in 11th place.
The result gives Mercedes an early advantage, but the short Sprint format means there will be little time for teams to make changes. Ferrari will also have to decide whether the new floor can deliver the expected improvement when it is finally used in qualifying.
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