2026 F1 Round 12, Dutch Grand Prix FP1: Antonelli narrowly edges Norris as uncertainty surrounds Zandvoort farewell

FP1 for the 2026 F1 Dutch Grand Prix, Round 12 of the season, took place at Zandvoort on the evening of August 21, China Standard Time (UTC+8), with drivers’ championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) topping the timesheets with a 1:12.949.

The closely watched Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) finished 17th on his first F1 outing in eight months. Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso placed 12th for Aston Martin, which was running Honda’s Spec 2 power unit (PU).

With 33 minutes remaining, Antonelli had a 360-degree spin at Turn 10. “I have absolutely no idea what happened,” he reported over the radio. Fortunately, his car was undamaged and he continued. Several cars were at the mercy of the wind during the session.

Lando Norris (McLaren) was second, 0.121 seconds behind, while George Russell (Mercedes) was third, 0.125 seconds off the pace.

The two Ferraris briefly occupied the top positions on the timesheets as the chequered flag approached, but both slipped back in the closing stages: Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, with Charles Leclerc fifth, 0.099 seconds behind his team-mate. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) was sixth.

With the weekend running to the Sprint format, the 60-minute FP1 session was the only practice session of the event. The track was damp in places at the start, with cars initially running on intermediate tyres before quickly switching to slicks. Qualifying simulations in the closing stages brought a major reshuffle of the order.

In the driver reshuffle prompted by Isack Hadjar’s (Red Bull) absence with a wrist injury, Lawson stepped up to Red Bull while Tsunoda filled in at Racing Bulls. This session marked his first time driving the VCARB 03. It was his return to F1 action after roughly eight months away, dating back to last season’s finale.

Tsunoda spent most of the session running on hard tyres as he worked on adapting to the car. His best time on the same hard compound was just 0.123 seconds off that of team-mate Arvid Lindblad, who had been driving the VCARB 03 throughout the season.

With 10 minutes remaining, he switched to medium tyres for a qualifying simulation. Although he moved ahead of Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Honda), who was on soft tyres, other drivers were also improving, and he ultimately finished 17th with a 1:15.110.

Comparing their best times on medium tyres, the gap to the 10th-placed Lindblad widened to 0.825 seconds.

The Aston Martin AMR26 received Honda’s only PU upgrade of the season: Spec 2. Changes were also made to the front wing and its endplates, the floor fences and the diffuser, continuing the upgrade programme from the previous round, the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Alonso posted a 1:14.511 to finish 12th. Stroll, meanwhile, could manage only 18th despite running soft tyres, and was also beaten by Tsunoda.

No major reliability issues were identified with Spec 2, and the two Aston Martin-Honda cars completed a combined 49 laps.

With 40 minutes remaining, Carlos Sainz (Williams) slid into the gravel on the outside before the final corner, briefly bringing out yellow flags. Sainz damaged his floor on that lap, losing downforce.

Hamilton also failed to slow sufficiently at Turns 11 and 12, briefly shooting off the track into the gravel.

Alpine brought the largest aerodynamic upgrade of any team. Originally scheduled for introduction at the next round, the Italian Grand Prix, it was brought forward by one event.

However, only one set of the package was available, so only Pierre Gasly used it in FP1. Franco Colapinto ended the session 13th, while Gasly finished eighth.

For Audi, Nico Hülkenberg was seventh and Gabriel Bortoleto ninth.

Max Verstappen (Red Bull), racing on home soil, encountered a gearbox problem with 36 minutes remaining as he slowed for the Turns 11 and 12 complex.

“The downshifts nearly put me into the barrier,” Verstappen reported over team radio. “Unbelievable.”

He subsequently went off into the gravel: “I don’t know why, it suddenly oversteered.” He ultimately ended the session down in 11th.

Lawson, driving the RB22 for the first time in place of Hadjar, finished 14th, 0.536 seconds behind Verstappen.

Sprint Qualifying took place at the same circuit late on August 21, China Standard Time (UTC+8).