Home Hero Faces Uphill Battle at Zandvoort After Tough Practice

Max Verstappen, typically dominant at his home Grand Prix in Zandvoort, faced an unusually challenging start to the Dutch Grand Prix weekend during Friday's practice sessions. The reigning World Champion admitted his struggles, expressing concern that even a top-five finish in qualifying would be a significant achievement given the car's current performance.

Persistent Handling Problems Plague Red Bull

Verstappen's difficulties were evident throughout the day. He finished sixth in the first practice session, nearly a second off the pace, and could only manage fifth place in the second session, still six-tenths behind Lando Norris's McLaren. The Red Bull driver openly cited persistent issues with the car's handling. "Still struggling with the same things and again we tried a lot of things with the car but it just doesn't really seem to change anything in terms of my underlying problem," Verstappen stated, suggesting that the unique track layout of Zandvoort might be exacerbating the car's current issues.

Max Verstappen grappled with car handling issues during Friday practice at his home Grand Prix.

Norris Leads the Pack, Teammate Tsunoda Under Pressure

In contrast to Verstappen's struggles, Lando Norris appeared to be in strong form, setting the pace in both practice sessions. Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda also experienced a mixed day, finishing 16th in FP1 and improving to seventh in FP2. Tsunoda faced a minor off in the first session and noted limitations during his long run in the second, amidst ongoing pressure to secure his position at Red Bull for the 2026 season.