Championship leader Kimi Antonelli kicked off the second half of the Formula 1 season by clocking the fastest time during Friday’s sole practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix. The Italian driver, who celebrates his 20th birthday next week, navigated the Zandvoort circuit in 1:12.949. Despite a 360-degree spin midway through the session, Antonelli maintained his momentum on a track that had dried out following earlier rain. McLaren’s Lando Norris, the 2024 Zandvoort winner, finished 0.121 seconds behind in second place, while Mercedes’ George Russell secured third, trailing the leader by 0.125 seconds.
The weekend is operating under the sprint format, with qualifying for Saturday’s 100km points-scoring race scheduled for later on Friday. Qualifying for Sunday’s main event will follow on Saturday afternoon. Lewis Hamilton, currently Antonelli’s closest rival in the standings, placed fourth for Ferrari, finishing 0.190 seconds off the pace. Hamilton enters the weekend trailing the leader by 50 points after 11 rounds. His Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc rounded out the top five, followed by Oscar Piastri of McLaren and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg.
Pierre Gasly of Alpine took eighth, marking the final driver to finish within a second of Antonelli’s benchmark at a venue hosting its final Formula 1 race for the foreseeable future. Local favorite Max Verstappen struggled with oversteer, managing only the 11th fastest time. Meanwhile, Liam Lawson—stepping in for the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull—finished 14th. The Racing Bulls entry saw Arvid Lindblad in 10th, while reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda, filling the seat vacated by Lawson, placed 17th.
Aston Martin displayed progress with an upgraded Honda engine, which helped Fernando Alonso climb to 12th position, while his teammate Lance Stroll finished 18th. The field now shifts its focus to the upcoming sprint qualifying session as teams look to refine their setups for the remainder of the Dutch GP weekend. The report also notes that the Italian, who turns 20 next week, lapped the seaside Zandvoort circuit in a best time of one minute 12.949 seconds with McLaren’s reigning champion Lando Norris second and 0.121 slower on a dry track after a rainy.
