Formula 1 marked its official return after the European summer break with the only free practice session of the Dutch Grand Prix, held on August 21, 2026, at the Zandvoort Circuit. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, current World Championship leader, was the fastest driver of the session, clocking 1m12s949 and surpassing Lando Norris and George Russell. Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto finished training in ninth place.
Kimi Antonelli demonstrates strength on the Dutch track
Kimi Antonelli, who occupies first position in the championship, confirmed his excellent form by leading the preparatory session for the Dutch stage. He achieved his best lap in the final moments of training, securing the top spot on the timesheets. The Mercedes driver’s performance places him as one of the main candidates for the next activities on the circuit.
Gabriel Bortoleto’s training journey in Zandvoort
Gabriel Bortoleto started his participation among the last to enter the track, using hard tires and achieving the ninth best lap in his second attempt, in the first 20 minutes. He still managed to improve to seventh position with the same compounds. At the end of training, with medium tires, the Brazilian reached the sixth best time, but the presence of traffic on the track in the decisive minutes caused him to drop to ninth place overall.
Despite the initial threat of rain, which prompted some drivers to start on intermediate tyres, the track remained dry, allowing for a quick switch to dry track compounds. Oscar Piastri led the session on medium tires until he was overtaken by Antonelli. George Russell momentarily occupied second position, while Charles Leclerc took the lead after 20 minutes of training.
Lewis Hamilton, Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate, equaled the Monegasque’s time, with an advantage of a tenth. Then, George Russell set a fast lap, 0s2 behind Hamilton, and Kimi Antonelli recorded an even better lap, just 0s010 behind the lead. Leclerc only managed to overtake the seven-time champion with 27 minutes remaining, with a difference of 0s1.
The training session went without any major incidents, with the exception of Carlos Sainz, who left the track three times, crossing the gravel on two occasions. These errors resulted in damage to the floor of his car, compromising the Spaniard’s performance in the only test session of the weekend. Hamilton and Max Verstappen also had small slips, but without serious consequences.
After a period focused on testing race pace, several drivers opted for soft tires. With them, Oscar Piastri took the lead with less than ten minutes to go. Leclerc had an even better lap, but was quickly overtaken by Hamilton, who returned to the top of the table. With four minutes remaining, Lando Norris reached first place, until he was overtaken by Kimi Antonelli, who secured the best mark.
Final free practice times for the Dutch GP
The top ten in the single free training were:
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 1:12.949
- Lando Norris (McLaren) +0s121
- George Russell (Mercedes) +0s125
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0s190
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0s289
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0s659
- Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) +0s835
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +0s962
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +1s043
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +1s336
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +1s376
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +1s562
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1s877
- Liam Lawson (Red Bull) +1s912
- Oliver Bearman (Haas) +1s925
- Esteban Ocon (Haas) +1s948
- Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) +2s161
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +2s250
- Alexander Albon (Williams) +2s408
- Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) +2s631
- Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) +2s751
- Carlos Sainz (Williams) +3s396
