2025 Dutch Grand Prix – Free Practice 1 F1 results (Circuit Zandvoort)

Thomas Maher 29 Aug 2025 12:35 PM

Lando Norris, McLaren, 2025 Dutch Grand Prix.

Lando Norris topped the times in first practice at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix.

The first practice session at Zandvoort in the Netherlands has concluded, with the times topped by…

It was a McLaren 1-2 in the first practice session ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, with Lando Norris edging out Oscar Piastri for top spot.

Lando Norris leads McLaren 1-2 in Zandvoort

Just like in first practice at the Hungaroring before the summer break, it was an all-McLaren affair at the front during the first hour-long session at the Circuit Zandvoort.

It was home hero Max Verstappen who set the early pace as he used his slightly revised Red Bull RB21 to climb to the front on the medium tyres, but this proved short-lived.

With the swap to the soft tyres, McLaren took over at the front with Lando Norris logging a 1:10.278 to go almost three-tenths of a second clear of championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Norris is aiming to further close down Piastri’s slender nine-point lead in the championship, with 10 Grands Prix left to decide which of the McLaren drivers will come out on top.

The closest challenger to McLaren’s superiority was Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, as the Canadian underlined the competitiveness of the AMR25 at a circuit which, like the Hungaroring, doesn’t demand much by way of high-speed efficiency.

Stroll popped in a time just over half a second down on Norris’, with Fernando Alonso making it a strong first showing for Aston Martin as he claimed fourth place, half a tenth down on Piastri.

Alex Albon was fifth for Williams, a further three-tenths back, while Verstappen wound up in sixth at the chequered flag – almost a second off the front-running pace.

Following the chequered flag, Verstappen went off the track and ended up stuck in the gravel trap at Turn 1, after locking up and going straight on following a practice start off the grid.

George Russell finished seventh as the top-running Mercedes, with teammate Kimi Antonelli down in 20th after sliding off the track 10 minutes into the session.

The Italian simply understeered off the track at Turn 9, ending up beached in the gravel as he took to the radio to ask whether he could resume the session.

Other drivers to find the gravel were Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, both of whom managed to continue after their early offs – Hamilton’s being an unusual half-spin in the first sector.