Antonelli fastest in sole Dutch Grand Prix practice

Formula One championship leader Kimi Antonelli started the second half of the season with the fastest time for Mercedes in sole practice for the Dutch Grand Prix on Friday.

The Italian, who turns 20 next week, lapped the seaside Zandvoort circuit in a best time of 1:12.949 seconds, with McLaren’s reigning champion Lando Norris second and 0.121 slower on a dry track after a rainy start to the day.

Norris, the 2024 winner at Zandvoort, won in Hungary before the August break and McLaren are chasing a third Dutch GP win in a row.

The weekend is being run to the sprint format, with qualifying for Saturday’s points-scoring 100km race later on Friday. Qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix is on Saturday afternoon.

Antonelli’s teammate George Russell was third fastest, 0.125 off the pace, with the Italian’s closest championship challenger Lewis Hamilton fourth for Ferrari.

Hamilton, 50 points behind in the standings after 11 rounds, was 0.190 slower than Antonelli, who spun 360º with half an hour to go. Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc was fifth, ahead of McLaren’s 2025 winner Oscar Piastri and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was eighth as the last driver inside a second of Antonelli’s time at a circuit that is saying farewell to Formula One for the foreseeable future after Sunday’s race.

Home hero and four-time world champion Max Verstappen was only 11th fastest, struggling with oversteer, while stand-in Red Bull teammate Liam Lawson, promoted from Racing Bulls after Isack Hadjar suffered a wrist injury, was 14th.

Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad was 10th and temporary teammate Yuki Tsunoda, the reserve taking the seat vacated by Lawson, was 17th.

Aston Martin showed further signs of improvement with an upgraded Honda engine propelling Fernando Alonso to 12th. His teammate Lance Stroll was 18th.