2024 F1 Round 15 Dutch GP FP1: Norris fastest in 1:12.322, Verstappen second as he targets a fourth straight home win amid strong winds

On the evening of August 23 in Beijing, Round 15 of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the Dutch Grand Prix, began at Zandvoort, opening the second half of the campaign after the summer break. McLaren’s Lando Norris topped Friday’s first free practice in 1 minute 12.322 seconds, 0.201 ahead of home driver Max Verstappen, who was seeking a fourth consecutive victory at this event. RB’s Yuki Tsunoda was fourteenth.

Zandvoort’s wind was an unavoidable theme of the session. With gusts forecast to reach 25 metres per second, the local weather service had issued a strong-wind warning for North Holland the previous day. The warning proved justified, and the first practice after the summer break began on a wet surface. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Haas driver Kevin Magnussen were the first out on full-wet tyres. Gasly reported over the radio that the wind was “unbelievably strong”, while Nico Hülkenberg unexpectedly locked up and ran into the gravel even though he was not on a flying lap.

The rain stopped about ten minutes into the session and conditions began to improve, but only three drivers had recorded timed laps by the 25-minute mark. Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Esteban Ocon waited and did not use full-wet tyres at any point. After half an hour, the sun emerged through the clouds and the strong wind helped the track dry quickly, gradually producing a racing line. Cars switched to slicks for the final ten minutes and the order changed rapidly, although traffic and the timing of runs prevented many drivers from showing their true pace.

Verstappen, targeting a fourth straight home win, finished second, 0.201 seconds off the lead, with Hamilton third. The conditions limited what could be learned, but the upgraded McLaren and the lightly revised Red Bull looked set for another close contest. Ferrari was the only team not to use soft tyres, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc fourth and thirteenth on mediums. George Russell was fifth, Alex Albon impressed with the sixth-fastest time, and Oscar Piastri was seventh. The two Haas cars took eighth and ninth, while Zhou Guanyu reached the top ten. Robert Shwartzman, driving for Sauber in place of Valtteri Bottas, was sixteenth.

Second free practice was scheduled for 22:00 Beijing time that evening.