Antonelli tops the only Zandvoort practice: enough to shield his championship lead?

Formula 1 came back from the summer break straight into the fire. No easing in this time. Teams at Zandvoort got a single hour of practice before this afternoon’s sprint qualifying, and that hour started on standing water. Wet track, intermediates for the opening laps, everyone glancing at the sky while trying to pull something useful out of a weekend that already carries extra weight: this is the last time F1 races on these dunes.

Kimi Antonelli finished on top with a 1:12.949, though the route there wasn’t clean. The Italian had a spin, a full 360 that somehow kept him on the tarmac, and dealt with traffic on several of his quick laps. Still, he found the right window near the end to nail the best time, just a tenth clear of Lando Norris. That gap tells you how tight this weekend already is: less than three tenths cover the top five.

George Russell came home third, 0.125s off his teammate, with the two Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc right behind. Worth noting: Leclerc spent a good chunk of the session sitting at the top before Mercedes and McLaren dropped in their reference laps near the end. A real sign of pace, or just the order teams chose to run? Qualifying will answer that.

Audi’s surprise, and a rough afternoon for Red Bull

The standout further down the sheet was Audi. Nico Hülkenberg finished seventh and Gabriel Bortoleto ninth, both on the medium compound, sandwiched between Alpine and McLaren. For a team still finding its footing on the grid, that’s not nothing.

On the other side, Red Bull had a bad time of it. Max Verstappen, who could be racing his final Zandvoort weekend after three straight wins here between 2021 and 2023, ended up 11th, more than a second and a half off Antonelli. He’s still without a win in 2026, and this practice session didn’t do much to change the mood. His stand-in teammate for the weekend, Liam Lawson (in for the injured Isack Hadjar), was 14th.

Then there’s Carlos Sainz, who closed out the sheet in 22nd, over three and a half seconds off the pace. The Spaniard arrived at this weekend still riding the media wave from his Williams renewal, and opened it with a time that raises questions, though in a wet FP1 it’s worth holding off on any hard conclusions.

Full timesheet – FP1, 2026 Dutch Grand Prix

With that, the grid moves straight into this afternoon’s sprint qualifying, which sets the starting order for tomorrow’s short race. What’s your read on this sheet, does Mercedes’ edge hold up, or do Ferrari and McLaren fight back once the track dries out?

Sources: Formula1.com, RacingNews365, Crash.net, PlanetF1, Pit Debrief.