Antonelli tops disrupted Zandvoort session as F1 returns from break

Kimi Antonelli finished fastest in Free Practice 1 ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix as Formula 1 returned from its summer break, the Mercedes driver beating McLaren's Lando Norris and team-mate George Russell at the Zandvoort Circuit — set to host an F1 event for the final time this weekend.

The Italian posted a 1m 12.949s, leaving him just one-tenth clear of both Norris and Russell. With only a single hour of practice ahead of Sprint Qualifying later on Friday afternoon, teams and drivers immediately headed out once the session got underway at 1230 local time to gather valuable data.

Drying track shapes the running

Conditions were far from optimal, with the track declared wet as damp patches remained scattered around the circuit and the early runners ventured out on the intermediate tyre. After only several laps, though, drivers soon switched to Pirelli's slick rubber and times began to plummet as the track continued to dry.

Antonelli, who leads the drivers' standings by 50 points heading into the second half of the season, soon began to appear at the top of the timing screens, posting a 1m 15.351s on the medium tyre approaching the 15-minute mark.

Spins and excursions around the circuit

As team-mate Russell went fastest after becoming the first driver to dip below the 1m 15s barrier with a 1m 14.951s, Carlos Sainz recovered back to the pits after running wide and into the gravel at Turn 13. The Williams driver was soon off the road again at Turn 11.

Just before the halfway point, Antonelli suffered a spin on the exit of Turn 10, explaining over the radio "I don't know what happened there," before recovering unharmed after showcasing the lack of track grip.

Charles Leclerc's 1m 14.146s remained the fastest time until the final 10 minutes as drivers focused on long runs before switching to the soft, red-walled tyre for one-lap pace. Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Norris all reached the top, before Antonelli set a 1m 12.949s in the final minutes to end the session fastest as rain threatened to fall at the chequered flag.

Full order

The Italian was left 0.121s clear of Norris, followed by Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc and the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri. Audi's Nico Hulkenberg led Pierre Gasly's Alpine, with the second Audi of Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad's Racing Bulls completing the top 10.

Home hero Max Verstappen was only P11 after a small excursion at Turn 13, followed by Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), with Liam Lawson P14 after being drafted into the Red Bull team in place of the injured Isack Hadjar. Ollie Bearman led Haas team-mate Esteban Ocon, followed by the returning Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Alex Albon (Williams).

The order was completed by the Cadillacs of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, with Sainz in last after suffering floor damage in his earlier excursion.