Norris tops wet and wild return in Zandvoort

Refreshed after a month-long summer break, the opening session of the Dutch Grand Prix instantly snapped the field out of holiday mode with changeable conditions allowing Lando Norris to excel.

Usually a cautious session, Zandvoort’s grim weather made the first hour of practice a very tentative one. 

For our Australians, it was a quiet session back from the summer break.

Despite dipping his toes in the water with a few out-laps, Oscar Piastri found himself sitting without a time to his name as just 10 minutes remained on the clock in FP1.

The late burst of sun helped ease the McLaren driver out of the pitlane, one of the first drivers to run the dry tyre after the wet conditions had cleared.

His first time was a 1:18.315s, significantly faster than the intermediate times, however, nowhere near what would eventually become the benchmark.

He momentarily jumped to P1, then further improved on his time to put two-tenths between himself and Lando Norris, however, as the chequered flag was waved on the session, P7 was Piastri’s to keep.

Daniel Ricciardo, one year on from sustaining a broken bone in an incident with Piastri in Zandvoort, failed to make an impact in the opening session.

Also getting off to a slow start, Ricciardo’s first lap placed him over two seconds behind the then-benchmark.

As a result, the #3 fell back to the fringes of the top ten, remaining there until the slick tyre crossover point was reached. 

On the soft tyre, Ricciardo was noticeably flat.

He was the slowest of all C3 runners, faulting his first attempt which left him over five seconds back on P1.

His second orbit around the Circuit Zandvoort was two seconds quicker, but sitting in P19, it didn’t compare to his competitors.

Daniel Ricciardo during FP1 at the Dutch GP. Image: Andy Hone / LAT Images.

As for the rest of the grid, deep puddles and rough gravel traps were explored in the opening stages as the cars explored the changeable conditions.

Pierre Gasly was the first driver to tour the drenched 4.259km track, wading through the water in the wake of Alpine’s exciting 2025 lineup announcement featuring Australian Alpine Academy driver, Jack Doohan.

The Frenchman returned to the pitlane without recording a time, leaving that task up to Charles Leclerc who set a 1:26.530s on the wet tyre.

At the halfway point, Leclerc, Nico Hulkenberg and George Russell were the only three drivers with a lap to their name, forcing the championship leader to blink. 

It wasn’t the lap of honour Max Verstappen would have hoped for, however, with the home hero unsettling his RB20 over the kerbs and spinning through Turn 12.

Unaffected, he reverted back to his usual self on the next rotation, jumping to the top of the order as the wind gusts reached 30km/hr. 

But P1 wasn’t a sure bet on the intermediate tyre, with Mercedes and McLaren both taking a turn at the top of the timing sheet as the conditions took a turn for the better. 

Sunshine at the seaside circuit aided the drivers in successfully generating a dry line, with the field watching on from their garages as slick hopes became a dry reality.  

McLaren were the first team to send their drivers out on the soft compound, with the two race winners owning the top of the list.

The papaya challengers traded purple sectors between one another with Mercedes joining the party as George Russell challenged Norris.

Ultimately, the #4 remained P1, with his time of 1:12.322s withstanding the pressure through to the chequered flag. 

Verstappen bounced back to end the session in P2, two-tenths behind his good friend, while Lewis Hamilton completed the top three.

The changeable conditions are expected to continue into the afternoon, and for the rest of the weekend, with FP1 proving a valuable test.

FP2 in the Netherlands will kick off at midnight.

Image: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images

Free Practice 2 Results:

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