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Antonelli leads Norris and Russell in disrupted sole Dutch GP practice session Kimi Antonelli set the pace in the only practice session of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, putting Mercedes at the top of the timesheets ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell. The Italian ended the hour with a 1m 12.949s lap, just 0.121 seconds clear of Norris, while Russell completed the top three. With Zandvoort hosting a Sprint weekend, Friday's FP1 session was the drivers' only opportunity to prepare their cars before Sprint Qualifying later in the day. That made every minute particularly valuable, although the teams faced challenging conditions at the start of the hour. The track was declared wet when the session began, with damp patches remaining around the circuit. Several drivers initially ventured out on intermediate tyres, but the conditions improved quickly enough for the field to switch to slicks after only a handful of laps. As the racing line dried, lap times began to fall rapidly. Mercedes and Ferrari trade places at the front Antonelli was among the early pace-setters, recording a 1m 15.351s lap on the medium tyre after around 15 minutes. Russell then became the first driver to break the 1m 15s barrier with a 1m 14.951s effort. Ferrari subsequently moved to the front, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both showing strong pace. Hamilton lowered the benchmark to 1m 14.259s before Leclerc improved further with a 1m 14.146s lap. The Ferrari drivers' position at the top of the timesheets was particularly significant because the majority of the field spent much of the session concentrating on longer runs rather than chasing outright lap time. The real performance picture only began to emerge during the closing stages, when drivers switched to the soft compound. Antonelli survives a spin Antonelli's session was not completely trouble-free. Shortly before the halfway point, the championship leader spun at Turn 10. The Mercedes driver appeared surprised by the incident, telling his team over the radio that he did not know what had caused the spin. He was able to continue without damage, but the incident highlighted how little grip was available as the circuit continued to evolve. The conditions also caught out Carlos Sainz. The Williams driver ran wide into the gravel at Turn 13 and subsequently had another off-track moment at Turn 11. The latter incident ultimately proved costly, with Sainz suffering floor damage that left him at the bottom of the classification. Soft tyres change the order The final ten minutes produced the most representative indication of outright qualifying pace. Leclerc, Hamilton and Norris all moved to the top of the standings as the soft tyres came into play. However, Antonelli saved his best for last, producing a 1m 12.949s lap in the closing minutes to reclaim P1. Norris finished only 0.121s behind the Mercedes, with Russell a further fraction behind in third. Hamilton and Leclerc followed in fourth and fifth, respectively, while Oscar Piastri placed sixth in the second McLaren. The narrow gaps at the front suggest that Mercedes and McLaren could be closely matched when Sprint Qualifying gets underway. Ferrari also appears to have sufficient pace to challenge, although the teams' different run programmes make direct comparisons difficult. Verstappen only 11th Home favourite Max Verstappen endured a relatively quiet session by his usual standards and finished only 11th fastest. The Red Bull driver also had a small excursion at Turn 13, although there was no major consequence. With Verstappen more than a second away from Antonelli's benchmark, Red Bull will have plenty of work to do before Sprint Qualifying if the Dutchman is to challenge for the front rows. The session also provided the first competitive running for Liam Lawson in his newly changed role at Red Bull. Lawson was drafted into the senior team for Zandvoort following Isack Hadjar's wrist injury, while Yuki Tsunoda returned to Racing Bulls alongside Arvid Lindblad. Lawson finished 14th, with Tsunoda 18th. Hulkenberg impresses as Sainz struggles Nico Hulkenberg was one of the standout performers outside the leading teams, putting his Audi into seventh place. Pierre Gasly followed in eighth for Alpine, ahead of Audi team mate Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad. Fernando Alonso finished 12th for Aston Martin, while Franco Colapinto was 13th for Alpine. Haas placed Bearman and Esteban Ocon in 16th and 17th respectively. At the back, the two Cadillacs of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez finished 20th and 21st, with Sainz classified last after his floor damage. Mercedes enter Sprint Qualifying as favourites Although one practice session is never enough to provide a definitive picture of the competitive order, Antonelli's performance will give Mercedes plenty of encouragement. The championship leader demonstrated strong pace on the soft tyre despite his earlier spin, while Russell's third place confirmed that the Mercedes package appears competitive around Zandvoort. Norris, however, was only 0.121s away from Antonelli, suggesting McLaren could be Mercedes' biggest threat in Sprint Qualifying. Ferrari's performance is also difficult to dismiss after Leclerc and Hamilton spent a large part of the session at the front before the late soft-tyre runs reshuffled the order. The biggest question mark is Red Bull. Verstappen's 11th place does not necessarily reflect the team's true potential, particularly given the limited practice running and rapidly changing track conditions, but the Dutchman will need a significant improvement if he is to fight for pole position in front of his home crowd. With rain threatening again at the end of FP1, conditions could remain a major factor throughout Friday. More importantly, the teams now have no further practice session in which to make significant changes: the next time the cars take to the track, they will be fighting for Sprint Qualifying positions.