Kimi Antonelli returned from the summer break by putting Mercedes on top of a disrupted, damp-to-dry FP1 at the Dutch GP, edging Lando Norris by 0.121 seconds as conditions transformed throughout the hour at Zandvoort.
The championship leader produced a 1:13.0 late in the session as the circuit finally offered enough grip for representative soft-tyre running. George Russell followed closely in third, only 0.125s away from his teammate, leaving Mercedes with an encouraging opening to the Sprint weekend.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were fourth and fifth for Ferrari, while Oscar Piastri took sixth after a session that began on a slippery track and finished with drivers fighting traffic for one final qualifying-style lap.
The hour had initially looked unlikely to provide much meaningful information. Rain before the session left the surface damp enough for intermediate tyres, but the racing line dried quickly and Piastri was among the first to demonstrate that slicks were already viable.
Antonelli recovers from spin to set standard
Once conditions stabilised, Antonelli immediately looked comfortable on the medium compound and moved ahead of Russell before suffering a spin midway through the session.
“I don’t know what the heck happened there,” Antonelli reported over team radio after managing to keep the car away from the barriers.
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The moment did little to affect his confidence. As teams switched onto the soft C4 tyre for the closing runs, Norris, Hamilton and Leclerc all took turns at the top before Antonelli delivered the cleanest lap when it mattered.
McLaren again looked competitive after winning the Hungarian GP before the summer break. Norris briefly went quickest with the benefit of a tow from Carlos Sainz, and the Briton remained Antonelli’s closest challenger at the flag.
Ferrari also appeared comfortable on a circuit expected to suit the SF-26. Leclerc was particularly strong through the final sector, while Hamilton had earlier led on both the medium and soft compounds despite bouncing through the gravel during one run.
The small margins between Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari suggested there may be little separating the leading teams when Sprint Qualifying begins later on Friday.
Verstappen struggles as Red Bull assess upgrades
The least convincing performance among the frontrunners came from Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
Fresh from signing a contract extension that keeps him at the team until 2030, Verstappen did not leave the garage until almost 15 minutes into FP1 while Red Bull worked through aerodynamic checks on its latest updates.
The Dutchman complained about both understeer and oversteer, as well as problematic downshifts, and had a trip through the gravel after a snap of the rear. He ultimately finished 11th, leaving significant work before Sprint Qualifying at his home event.
His temporary teammate Liam Lawson ended 14th on his return to the senior team after Isack Hadjar was ruled out through injury. Lawson’s final soft-tyre attempt was compromised by traffic when he encountered a slow Cadillac.
“I have no idea what they were doing,” Lawson complained after abandoning the lap.
There were encouraging signs further down the field for Audi, whose recent upgrade package continued to show promise. Nico Hulkenberg climbed as high as fourth while still using the medium tyre before the soft-tyre runs shuffled the order late on.
The session was hardly clean for anyone. Sainz required a new front wing after multiple gravel excursions, while Leclerc dipped a wheel off track on his final run and several drivers struggled with the gusting wind.
Antonelli nevertheless emerged from the uncertainty with the fastest time and, with just one practice hour available on a Sprint weekend, Mercedes will head into the competitive action with the strongest early benchmark.
