Kimi Antonelli set the pace in the sole practice session for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix, finishing just ahead of Lando Norris and Mercedes team-mate George Russell ahead of Sprint Qualifying at Zandvoort.

With the circuit still damp when the session began, Nico Hülkenberg was the first driver to venture out, running intermediate tyres on his Audi. Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Ocon and Russell soon followed on the same compound, but conditions improved sufficiently quickly for the field to switch to slicks.

Piastri was among the first to make the change, fitting Medium tyres and initially proceeding cautiously around the banked Turn 3. His early benchmark of 1:23.311s soon fell as grip developed, with Antonelli moving ahead on a 1:18.264s before lowering the pace to 1:16.112s.

The order continued to change rapidly. Norris, Russell and Charles Leclerc all featured near the front, while Liam Lawson showed promising speed on hard tyres. Hamilton then took over with a 1:15.124s, only for Russell and Leclerc to respond as Ferrari and Mercedes traded the leading time.

Hamilton subsequently improved to 1:14.259s, just 0.010s clear of Antonelli, before Leclerc reclaimed first place with a 1:14.146s. The running was not without incident: Carlos Sainz visited the gravel twice, Antonelli spun at Turn 10 and Hamilton ran wide at Turn 11. Arvid Lindblad also caught a slide at the same corner, while Max Verstappen had a gravel excursion after correcting a moment of oversteer.

Teams then turned their attention to longer runs before the final qualifying simulations began. Franco Colapinto was an early Soft-tyre runner and climbed to sixth temporarily, but the leading drivers soon made sizeable gains.

Piastri produced a 1:13.608s to go fastest, before Leclerc and Hamilton successively moved ahead. Norris then benefited from a tow to post a 1:13.105s, although Antonelli delivered the decisive lap in the closing minutes.

After his first attempt was compromised by traffic, the Mercedes driver completed a clean final sector to set a 1:12.949s. That left him 0.121s ahead of Norris, with Russell only four thousandths further back in third.

Hamilton finished fourth, 0.190s off the pace, followed by Leclerc and Piastri. Hülkenberg underlined Audi’s encouraging speed by taking seventh on Medium tyres, with Pierre Gasly eighth and Gabriel Bortoleto putting the second Audi ninth. Lindblad completed the top 10.

Verstappen, who appeared to struggle with understeer on Softs, ended the session 11th, 1.376s adrift, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Colapinto. Lawson was 14th, while Sainz finished 22nd after his disrupted session.

Elsewhere, Aston Martin continued to evaluate its updated package, with Alonso 12th and Lance Stroll 18th, while Valtteri Bottas led Cadillac team-mate Sergio Pérez in 20th place overall. With no further practice available, teams now face a rapid turnaround before Sprint Qualifying.

2026 FIA Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix – Free Practice 
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:12.949 36 210.179
2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:13.070 0.121 30 209.831
3 George Russell Mercedes 1:13.074 0.125 37 209.820
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:13.139 0.190 34 209.633
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:13.238 0.289 39 209.350
6 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:13.608 0.659 35 208.298
7 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:13.784 0.835 34 207.801
8 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:13.911 0.962 28 207.444
9 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:13.992 1.043 29 207.216
10 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:14.285 1.336 37 206.399
11 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:14.325 1.376 25 206.288
12 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:14.511 1.562 25 205.773
13 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:14.826 1.877 31 204.907
14 Liam Lawson Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:14.861 1.912 30 204.811
15 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:14.874 1.925 32 204.776
16 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:14.897 1.948 31 204.713
17 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:15.110 2.161 35 204.132
18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:15.199 2.250 24 203.891
19 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:15.357 2.408 33 203.463
20 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:15.580 2.631 28 202.863
21 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:15.700 2.751 28 202.541
22 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:16.345 3.396 32 200.830