The session started under damp conditions giving some teams the opportunity to run the intermediate compound, albeit only for a lap or two. Most teams had at least one driver run the inters but Ferrari and Red Bull opted not to. The track dried out very quickly so they were not used for long.
As the track dried most teams opted for the medium and hard compounds to complete some long runs. In the opening stages of practice, Antonelli was looking strong. It seems that the Mercedes and the Ferrari’s are still the fastest out there.
It is important to note that the track conditions look quite unpredictable. The wind was strong which can impact the aerodynamic balance of these cars. We saw many cars having snaps and moments, the wind could have been a factor in many of these. Furthermore the wind could easily be bringing a bit of sand from the dunes onto the track, making driving off line more difficult. We saw Antonelli have a spin when trying to let a car past. He seemed quite baffled as to how it happened but it very easily could be the track being a bit too dusty where it is not used often, this is important to note as traffic in qualifying could be quite difficult to deal with for these drivers to deal with. The clouds in the distance were very dark and grey. Although the forecasts do not predict rain, in Zandvoort conditions can change fast. It is possible sprint qualifying later is damp.
The qualifying runs were difficult in terms of traffic. Leclerc bailed out of his first lap after a mistake in sector one but on his next lap he briefly went fastest. Hamilton ended up going slightly faster than him. Kimi Antonelli was struggling with traffic, getting squeezed by an Audi and having to bail out. When he finally got a lap in he went fastest with a 1:12.949. George could manage a 1:13.074 with Lando Norris in the McLaren splitting the pair with a 1:13.070. The gap to the closest Ferrari of Hamilton was not very big either which means it is very likely that qualifying this weekend will be between all three teams. So far, the Red Bull has not seemed quick enough to challenge the front.
Some teams like Audi and Racing Bulls opted to not use the soft compound during practice, preferring to save them for sprint qualifying and main qualifying instead.
Other things to note from this practice session:
Yuki Tsunoda took to the track for the first time since Abu Dhabi 2025. He replaces Racing Bulls Liam Lawson, who has been promoted to the Red Bull seat this weekend following Isack Hadjar’s wrist injury. It is the first competitive weekend he has drove the new regulation cars and he has got lucky as it is a track with only two straight mode zones and it’s relatively, therefore requires much less energy management than tracks like Silverstone or Spa. Hopefully he can adapt quickly throughout the weekend.
Honda have brought their engine upgrade, which has brought a noticeable power difference. This is good news for Aston Martin and their engine manufacturer as the only have one point this season. With their chassis improvements and now Honda’s upgraded engine, they might have a chance to get scoring more often this season. And speaking of Honda and Yuki, this weekend marks the first time Yuki has not drove a car powered by Honda in an F1 session.
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