Lando Norris outpaced all rivals including McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri during opening practice for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, as Formula 1 returned from summer break.
The British driver delivered a stunning lap time of 1:10.278 which put him nearly three-tenths of a second ahead of Piastri, confirming team Papaya’s strong form as the weekend kicked off .
The session not only marked Norris’s continued momentum after winning three of the last four races before the break but also highlighted McLaren’s pace advantage at this point in the 2025 F1 season.
The F1 Dutch GP FP1 session began under cool and blustery conditions, typical of the coastal Zandvoort circuit, presenting drivers with challenging winds and tricky banked corners to negotiate.
Early on, championship leader Oscar Piastri briefly topped the leaderboard showing his continued competitiveness before three-time Dutch Grand Prix winner and home race favorite Max Verstappen surged to the top with a lap time of 1:12.101.
Verstappen’s early pace was promising but the session quickly turned chaotic with multiple incidents. The first interruption came when his Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda experienced a spin and recovered at Turn 11, prompting a brief caution.
This was followed by Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli locking up at Turn 9 and getting stuck in the gravel, triggering the first red flag of the session.
After an eight-minute stoppage and the session resuming, the pace intensified with key players pushing for strong lap times.
Mercedes’ George Russell quickly surged to second with a 1:12.130, but the track remained treacherous as Williams’ Carlos Sainz spun off at Turn 11, mirroring Tsunoda’s earlier mistake, although he was able to continue.
Lando Norris ultimately delivered a 1:10.278 lap to set F1 Dutch GP FP1 benchmark, positioning McLaren clearly ahead with teammate Oscar Piastri in close pursuit.
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The times went largely unchanged during the second part of the session as teams focused on running both medium and soft tires, preparing for potentially wet conditions forecasted for the second practice, adding strategic complexity regarding tire and fuel management.
Behind the McLaren pair, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll impressed by securing third place early on while his teammate Fernando Alonso followed closely in fourth, showcasing the team’s potential performance this weekend.
Williams’ Alex Albon also made a strong appearance by setting the fifth-fastest time ahead of Max Verstappen who struggled somewhat during the session and ended up sixth, nearly a full second off Norris’s benchmark.
Verstappen’s session ended disruptively when he locked up his brakes and beached his car in the gravel trap just after the chequered flag, a troubling sign for the home favorite but a reminder of Zandvoort’s challenging nature.
Mercedes’ George Russell finished seventh, showing solid pace despite the persistent difficult conditions, while Carlos Sainz managed eighth for Williams, ahead of Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto in ninth and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounding out the top ten.
The session was less kind to Ferrari with Charles Leclerc trailing in 14th place, over one and a half seconds behind Norris, and Lewis Hamilton closely behind him after suffering a spin at Turn 3 but managed to continue without damage.
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