Kimi Antonelli broke the Dutch Grand Prix practice record with a 1:12.949 lap, becoming the sole sub‑1:12 driver on the wet‑ready Zandvoort circuit.
Practice Day Evolves From Intermediates to Slicks
All teams launched the sole sprint practice with intermediate tyres, a logical choice for the damp beachside track. Nico Hulkenberg quickly switched to slicks as the surface dried, prompting the rest of the field to follow suit. Oscar Piastri, after a 1:23.311 lap on intermediates, made the shift five minutes in and found the new track surface rapidly more forgiving.
McLaren’s Lando Norris set an early flag with a 1:13.070 lap on slicks, narrowly beating Hamilton’s 1:13.138 time. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton kept the top of the driver list with successive faster stints as conditions continued to improve.
Drivers Surge Through Soft Tyres
Ten minutes before the sprint session’s conclusion, teams unveiled their soft tyre strategies. Piastri briefly topped the session clock with a 1:13.608 lap, just 0.462 seconds faster than Leclerc’s 1:14.071 besides. Leclerc, however, reclaimed the leaderboard’s edge with a 1:13.139 lap, followed by a Ferrari‑formed Jack of the times by 0.208 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
Antonelli’s pace climbed noticeably when he adopted medium track tyres, posting a 1:15.531 lap on his third out‑of‑the‑box run. By the final five minutes, Norris posted the fastest 1:13.105 lap, only to be surpassed by Antonelli, who finished 0.156 seconds quicker with a 1:13.049 lap.
Championship Battle Tightens at the Top
The Italian driver’s performance left him 50 points ahead of Hamilton in the standings, sustaining his title lead. Norris, reporting a 1:13.101 lap, failed to improve his final track run. Meanwhile, George Russell, a 59‑point deficit from Antonelli, secured the third spot with a 1:13.074 lap, marginally faster than Hamilton’s 1:13.130 finish.
Leclerc’s 1:13.735 sealed the top five, lying 0.289 seconds behind Russell yet 0.659 seconds clear of Piastri’s 1:13.608. The top six formations mirrored season‑long patterns: Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, followed by Audi with Hulkenberg’s 1:13.784 and ghost‑runner Bortoleto’s 1:13.992.
Midfield and Back Marker Performance
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly split the pair on 1:13.911, while Audi’s Hulkenberg eclipsed Bortoleto, rallying from a slower start to take seventh. The top ten finishing order saw Aaron’s Razor, Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad record a 1:14.285, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fall to 11th, with Liam Lawson’s 1:15.412 finish in 14th place. Four‑time champion Hamilton admitted to down‑shift and oversteer difficulties early in the session, citing an off‑entry at the final corner.
Awaiting Sprint Qualifying
With the practice windows complete, teams focus now on sprint qualifying tomorrow afternoon. The results hint at a competitive weekend, where tyre choices and track evolution may help to reshape the leaderboard once the race itself begins.
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