With the summer break now behind them, F1 returns to action at the Dutch GP, beginning with FP1. All eyes will be on the close battle between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, separated by just nine points at the top of the standings, while four-time World Champion and home favourite Max Verstappen will be aiming to deliver in front of the Dutch crowd.
The Circuit Zandvoort measures 4.259 km, with the lap record of 1:11.097s set by Lewis Hamilton in 2021. Known for its flowing, high-speed sections and banked corners, the track is a driver favourite — though its narrow layout makes overtaking a real challenge, meaning qualifying could prove decisive this weekend. It rewards bravery and precision, with no room for error on track.
Green lights
The weather appeared to be dry and sunny at the start of the Free Practice session, with a risk of showers later in the afternoon.
All drivers headed out at first on the medium tyres. With Pirelli pushing for a two-stop race, the tyres are one step softer than the previous year.
The drivers set off on their first push laps, cleaning up the racing line and laying down rubber. Piastri led the timings with 1:12.678, with Verstappen 0.089s behind and Norris 0.273s.
Alonso sparked to the top of the timings, with a 1:12.577. A brief yellow flag came out for Hamilton at Turn 3, but he made it going again on track and stayed out of the barriers.
RED FLAG
Yuki Tsunoda had a spin, but managed to recover himself to the pits.
Moments later, rookie Kimi Antonelli wasn’t as fortunate. A snap of oversteer sent his Mercedes sliding gently into the gravel at Turn 9. With the car beached, the Red Flag was deployed, bringing his session to an early end.
Before the stoppage, Max Verstappen had surged to the top with a 1:12.101, delighting the Dutch fans. Behind him, the two Williams cars continued to impress, with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon rounding out the provisional top four, all within three-tenths of Verstappen’s pace.
Track clear
The session resumed soon after, with 40 minutes still on the clock. Cars pushed to get onto the track early, with the threat of rain looming in FP2. George Russell was the first to lead the pack back out on medium tyres.
Sainz had an excursion into the gravel, but he got his Williams back on track. Norris also dipped a wheel into the gravel in Turn 11, kicking up dust onto the track.
Swap to soft tyres
Norris was the first to head out again, this time on the soft tyres, with a time of 1:10.278. Piastri followed, but could only do second best, 0.4s behind. Sainz moved up into P3, but was still 1.2s behind both McLarens.
With 25 minutes to go, the top ten painted an interesting picture: both McLarens sat at the top, chased by a mix of Williams, Ferrari and Aston Martin machinery, while Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly ensured Haas and Alpine were represented in the pack as well.
Alonso moved up to P3, but was still 0.6 seconds off the pace of the McLarens. Piastri improved on his previous time, but was still 0.292 seconds behind Norris.
15 minutes left of FP1
Both Ferrari’s pace had significantly dropped off as the session progressed, with both cars in P14 and P15 respectively.
There was significant traffic issues on track, with some areas on track being pretty narrow. Tsunoda and Stroll had a moment, with Stroll unhappy with the traffic. Despite this, Stroll placed his Aston Martin up to P3, 0.5s behind the McLarens.
With 5 minutes left of the session, most cars went back to their original medium tyres. Some drivers stayed on their softs to see how long they would last- with Hadjar on his tyres for 12 laps and Hamilton on his for 13 laps.
Russell locked up and skated into the gravel, but managed to make it to an escape road and back on track.
Verstappen headed out on a Practice start at the conclusion of the session, but locked up into Turn 1, and went straight on, getting beached in the gravel.
At the flag, it was a McLaren 1–2, with Norris ahead of Piastri, while both Aston Martins followed closely in P3 and P4. Alex Albon rounded out the top five, setting up an intriguing weekend narrative.
Full classification and results from FP1 at the 2025 F1 Dutch GP
- Lando Norris 1:10.278
- Oscar Piastri +0.292
- Lance Stroll +0.501
- Fernando Alonso +0.563
- Alex Albon +893
- Max Verstappen +0.940
- George Russell +1.108
- Carlos Sainz +1.180
- Gabriel Bortoleto +1.231
- Pierre Gasly +1.335
- Liam Lawson +1.475
- Isack Hadjar +1.494
- Niko Hulkenberg +1.597
- Charles Leclerc +1.673
- Lewis Hamilton +1.682
- Yuki Tsunoda +1.848
- Esteban Ocon +1.866
- Franco Colapinto +1.998
- Oliver Bearman +2.286
- Kimi Antonelli +3.997
