Lando Norris topped the standings in both of the first two practice sessions at the Dutch Grand Prix as F1 returns after the four-week summer break.
With 10 races left this season, it is a two-horse race for the drivers’ championship between the two McLaren drivers. Oscar Piastri currently has a nine-point lead over teammate Norris, who won the last race in Hungary after holding off a late challenge from the Australian. The British driver also won last year’s grand prix at Zandvoort, and looked in good form despite two disrupted sessions here.
FP1 was briefly paused due to an incident involving Kimi Antonelli, who ran on to the gravel, while FP2 was twice red flagged as Lance Stroll and Alex Albon hit the barriers. There were encouraging signs for Aston Martin otherwise, though, with Fernando Alonso pushing the McLaren’s close in both sessions.
Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton is seeking a significant improvement in performance, having failed to secure a podium in Ferrari red after the first 14 races of the season. Charles Leclerc also cut a frustrated figure at the last race in Hungary, finishing fourth after starting on pole.
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F1 DUTCH GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- F1 returns after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix
- Lando Norris fastest in FP1 as Aston Martins impress
- FP2 underway with rain falling in Zandvoort
- Oscar Piastri holds a nine-point lead in the world championship
- PREVIEW: What to look out for as F1 returns
- Martin Brundle backs Cadillac’s ‘great’ choice after Bottas and Perez picks
- McLaren ‘explosion’ predicted with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri battling for F1 title
- Gloomy outlook for Hamilton and Leclerc with Ferrari 'miles off'
FP2 - top 10
16:06
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
1 Lando Norris 1:09.890
2 Fernando Alonso +0.087
3 Oscar Piastri +0.089
4 George Russell +0.385
5 Max Verstappen +0.588
6 Lewis Hamilton +0.848
7 Yuki Tsunoda +0.905
8 Charles Leclerc +0.944
9 Franco Colapinto +1.067
10 Nico Hulkenberg +1.190
Encouraging signs for Fernando in FP2
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 29, 2025
TOP 5
Norris
Alonso
Piastri
Russell
Verstappen #F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/eFuIDdGoED
CHEQUERED FLAG!
16:03
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
There we are - that’s that for the second practice session at the Dutch Grand Prix.
A couple of red flags, a few spits and spots of rain, and more success for McLaren with Lando Norris top of the charts.
Oscar Piastri nearly runs into trouble
16:01
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A slightly scary end to the session for Oscar Piastri, running wide through Turn 9 and throwing up a bit of dust. Third spot, it will be for him.
Aston Martin continue to shine
15:57
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
That also means that Fernando Alonso will finish second - more very, very encouraging signs for the team after third and fourth places earlier.
Lando Norris still top of the standings
15:55
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Practice appears to be winding down - there will be no last-ditch tilts at a properly quick time, it seems, leaving Lando Norris likely to take top spot.
Nearly a pit lane crash!
15:48
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Crikey, chaps, calm down! Oscar Piastri pulls out of the McLaren pits as he is told to change slots, and almost runs right in to George Russell, who is not at all best pleased. It is a pretty tight set-up at Zandvoort, but that was nearly nasty.
FP2 hit by second crash
15:45
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Alex Albon is alright - he’s out of his car and strolling back to the pits. With 16 minutes to go, the drivers are released again, though time is tight to get in enough runs of substance.
In better news, the light rain has relented.
ANOTHER RED FLAG
15:42
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
The carnage continues. Alex Albon has had a mishap at Turn 1, damaging his front wing on the barriers and beaching his car on the rough stuff. The red flags wave once more.
More drama in FP2
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 29, 2025
Now Alex Albon has gone off at Turn 1 and bumps the barriers #F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/QtbbDQX4Ub
Lando Norris goes fastest
15:38
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A flying lap from Lando Norris and the McLaren pushes in front of Fernando Alonso for top spot in the FP2 standings.
1 Lando Norris 1:09.890
2 Fernando Alonso +0.087
3 Oscar Piastri +0.089
4 George Russell +0.385
5 Max Verstappen +0.588
Lewis Hamilton takes a spin
15:36
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Not for the first time today, Lewis Hamilton takes a spin out on track, catching a back wheel on the grass on the outside of Turn 9.
Isack Hadjar forced out of second practice
15:33
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
You feel that practice time will be key for all of the grid this weekend after four weeks away from racing, but for rookies like Isack Hadjar, missing a session might be particularly damaging. There’s rain forecast all weekend, too - the chaos may continue.
But not for long!
15:29
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Oh no. This isn’t going well at all - now the virtual safety car is deployed with Isack Hadjar directed by his team to come to a halt. Having made a delayed entry into the session with a technical issue, it would appear that his race is run.
"That's it, retire?" Hadjar asks; “Confirmed”, comes the reply. A blow for Racing Bulls.
Back underway
15:24
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Speedy work from the race marshals - a delay of about 10 minutes, but the lights are green again with the drivers getting going in light drizzle.
RED FLAG!
15:22
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
That crash is terrible news for Lance Stroll and Aston Martin, of course - but it’s not great for the rest of the field, either, with time tight to get runs in on a dry track. Let’s hope they are back out there soon enough.
RED FLAG!
15:15
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A heavy crash for Lance Stroll! Thankfully the Aston Martin driver quickly signals that he is fine to his team, but that was a scary moment as he locked up into a banked corner at Turn 3 and slid into the barriers. After such an encouraging FP1 for the team, that’s a set-back.
RED FLAG
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 29, 2025
Stroll has gone into the barriers at Turn 3
Lance says he's okay #F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/XjqCfGo1jZ
Kimi Antonelli tests out the softs
15:13
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
It’s drizzling in Zandvoort, providing yet more challenges for a field that struggled in the wind at times earlier. Kimi Antonelli is on the softs with Mercedes hoping he can get as many laps in while the track is still relatively dry, with more rain forecast tomorrow.
Lando Norris goes fastest.
15:10
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A time of 1:11.294 is the first statement of intent from Lando Norris after the resumption, the McLaren man almost immediately back to the top of the standings.
Off they go!
15:02
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A load of cars are out on track instantly, keen to make the most of the dry conditions - for now. We saw how testing this circuit can be earlier, with several incidents or near misses - who can stay out of danger and top the times?
FP2 on the way
14:55
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Right, let’s get going again - second practice is almost upon us, with rather gloomy skies suggesting there may be a bit of rain to disrupt matters. Kimi Antonelli, who only completed six laps earlier before running off track, will be hoping for better.
Lando Norris doing well to ‘block out noise’ in title fight – Carlos Sainz
14:45
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Carlos Sainz has praised Lando Norris for blocking out the “noise” during his title challenge and believes his former team-mate receives unfair criticism.
The British driver is locked in a championship battle with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, trailing by nine points heading into this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.
Norris has publicly questioned himself at various stages of the season, bemoaning poor qualifying performances and mistakes in races that allowed Piastri to take an early title lead.
Sainz, who was team-mates with Norris at McLaren when the British driver made his Formula One debut in 2019, has been impressed with the way the 25-year-old has handled the scrutiny that has come his way.
Sergio Perez feels he has nothing to prove after being unveiled by Cadillac
14:35
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez insists he does not have a point to prove after he was unveiled by Formula One’s new team Cadillac.
Perez will line up alongside Lewis Hamilton’s one-time Mercedes wingman Valtteri Bottas when the American outfit make their debut next year.
Perez agreed a two-year deal with Red Bull midway through last season only to be dropped at the end of the campaign.
Martin Brundle backs Cadillac’s ‘great’ choice after Bottas and Perez picks
14:25
,
Kieran Jackson
Martin Brundle has praised Cadillac’s decision to sign up Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as their drivers for their debut season in F1 next year.
Bottas and Perez, both 35 and unattached this year, will return to the grid in 2026 with the American-owned outfit, after an announcement on Tuesday.
Cadillac opted to go for experience over youth and American involvement, while the likes of Mick Schumacher, Zhou Guanyu and Felipe Drugovich missed out.
Cadillac play it safe with Bottas and Perez – an F1 line-up lacking one key ingredient
14:15
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Cadillac, new to the grid next year, unveiled their inaugural driver line-up earlier this week, with stalwarts Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez paired in a line-up that Kieran Jackson, our Formula 1 Correspondent, believes is lacking one key ingredient...
What's still to come in 2025?
14:00
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
The racing resumes this weekend and then the action comes thick and fast as we near the pointy end of the Formula 1 season, which this year extends into December.
ROUND 15 - NETHERLANDS
Circuit Zandvoort - 29-31 August
ROUND 16 - ITALY
Monza Circuit - 5-7 September
ROUND 17 - AZERBAIJAN
Baku City Circuit - 19-21 September
ROUND 18 - SINGAPORE
Marina Bay Street Circuit - 3-5 October
ROUND 19 - UNITED STATES (sprint weekend)
Circuit of the Americas, Austin - 17-19 October
ROUND 20 - MEXICO
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City - 24-26 October
ROUND 21 - BRAZIL (sprint weekend)
Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo - 7-9 November
ROUND 22 - LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas Street Circuit - 20-22 November
ROUND 23 - QATAR (sprint weekend)
Lusail International Circuit, Lusail - 28-30 November
ROUND 24 - ABU DHABI
Yas Marina Circuit - 5-7 December
Concern for Ferrari?
13:45
,
Jack Rathborn
That was a poor FP1 for Ferrari and Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
And Sky Sports F1's Jacques Villeneuve has a gloomy outlook for the Scuderia at Zandvoort.
"Ferrari look slow,” Villeneuve says. “You cannot just think your normal set-up will work here on this track."
The soft-tyre laps didn’t work. "We are miles off," says Leclerc on Ferrari team radio. "Miles off."
Lewis Hamilton well adrift of Lando Norris in Dutch Grand Prix first practice
13:30
,
PA
Lewis Hamilton’s mission to inject some fun into his Ferrari career was put to an early test as he finished a shaky first practice at the Dutch Grand Prix over a second-and-a-half adrift of pace-setter Lando Norris.
The seven-time world champion said on Thursday that he was determined to enjoy his driving again, after describing himself as “absolutely useless” and suggesting Ferrari should replace him after he started and finished 12th in Hungary before the sport’s summer break.
But the 40-year-old’s bid to bring back the fun-factor did not start well as he spun just over 10 minutes into the weekend’s opening running before managing to keep the car out of the gravel.
Dutch Grand Prix FP1 timings and results
13:15
,
Jack Rathborn
- Norris: 1:10.278,
- Piastri: +0.292
- Stroll: +0.501
- Alonso: +0.563
- Albon: +0.893
- Verstappen: +0.940
- Russell: +1.108
- Sainz: +1.180
- Bortoleto: +1.231
- Gasly: +1.335
Max Verstappen responds to former Red Bull insider’s claim
13:00
,
Jack Rathborn
Max Verstappen has played down a claim from a former Red Bull insider that he deliberately pushed for a €50k fine at the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix over mind games with Mercedes.
But the Dutch driver maintains “it didn’t happen that way”, though he insists the details aren’t clear four years on.
Verstappen touched the rear wing of Hamilton’s W12, and his former performance coach Bradley Scanes claims on the High Performance Podcast that it was deliberate with the fine to follow and “no impact on track” and designed to put “a little bit of pressure in the media on them”.
In response, Verstappen said in Zandvoort: “I can’t really recall that, to be honest. From my side, it didn’t feel like that. So, I can’t really say anything more about it because, for me, it didn’t feel like that or it didn’t happen that way.”
Dutch Grand Prix FP1 timings and results
12:43
,
Jack Rathborn
Lando Norris tops FP1 with a time of 1:10.278, while Piastri is tucked in at P2, three tenths further back.
There’s real optimism for Aston Martin occupying the next two places with Lance Stroll and then Fernando Alonso. They are the only cars within 0.9 seconds of the papaya cars.
George Russell and Max Verstappen ended up in the gravel in separate incidents.
The Red Bull at Turn One, described by Karun Chandhok as “an uncharacteristic error”.
The Mercedes is also off at Turn One, with the Briton 1.1seconds off the pace in seventh.
Max Verstappen in a spot of bother
12:36
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Oh - what’s happened here? Max Verstappen launched into a practice start and has beached himself on the gravel! The Dutchman locked up into Turn 1 and could not salvage it, halting just short of the barriers with a back wheel lodged in the shingle. Crikey - a real rarity, that.
FP1 comes to a close!
12:33
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
That’s that! Useful practice time for all drivers bar Kimi Antonelli, forced out after running on to the gravel earlier, as F1 returns from its summer break.
Lando Norris ends the session fastest.
1 Lando Norris 1:10.278
2 Oscar Piastri +0.292
3 Lance Stroll +0.501
4 Fernando Alonso +0.563
5 Alex Albon +0.893
6 Max Verstappen +0.940
7 George Russell +1.108
Into the final five minutes
12:30
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Into the final few minutes we go. George Russell locks up and skids on to the gravel, though manages to navigate out and onto an escape road, avoiding the fate that befell Kimi Antonelli earlier. The British driver immediately apologises to his team.
Antonelli: "I'm stuck in the gravel"
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 29, 2025
And we have our first red flag of the weekend #F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/Gn0jl1P0YM
Aston Martin continue to impress
12:28
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
We probably expected McLaren to retain their places at the top of the times but the form of the two Aston Martins will hugely encourage a team that could yet contend for race victories between now and season-end.
FP1 current leaderboard
12:24
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
1 Lando Norris 1:10.278
2 Oscar Piastri +0.292
3 Lance Stroll +0.501
4 Fernando Alonso +0.563
5 Alex Albon +0.893
6 Max Verstappen +0.940
7 George Russell +1.108
Disastrous start for Ferrari
12:18
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Things aren’t looking quite as rosy for the men in red. Ferrari are 14th (Charles Leclerc) and 15th (Lewis Hamilton) so far, with both drivers seemingly pretty frustrated on the radio.
Lando Norris topping the times in FP1
12:14
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
There are only four cars within a second of Lando Norris - which shows just how quick his McLaren remains.
Lando Norris topping the times
12:10
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Lando Norris is still top of the charts in FP1 - though teammate Oscar Piastri has just gone close. Fernando Alonso is also lapping well, taking third spot ahead of Alex Albon.
The other Aston Martin, piloted by Lance Stroll, is sixth. Encouraging for the team after a good outing in Hungary before the summer break.
Lando Norris on softs
12:00
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Lando Norris had a quick brush with the gravel early, and has now swapped on to a softer tyre. Teammate Oscar Piastri follows him, and will try to chase down Norris’s session-leading time of 1m 10.278s.
Session resumes
11:56
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Back underway in the Netherlands. There’s rain forecast in a little while, so teams are keen to get as many laps in now as they can - which might make things a little hectic.
Kimi Antonelli out of the session
11:48
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Oh dear. Yuki Tsunoda manages to navigate back to the pits but Kimi Antonelli is out of the session, it seems, with his car having to be recovered on a flatbed.
RED FLAG!
11:44
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
It gets worse. Practice has been paused with Kimi Antonelli on the gravel and Yuki Tsunoda in a bit of bother, too.
Lewis Hamilton spins!
11:43
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Lewis Hamilton said yesterday that he hopes to have more fun in the second half of the season - but I don’t think this is what he meant! The Ferrari driver spins at Turn 3. "I have flat spots all round," he chunters on the radio. Not good.
Yuki Tsunoda breaks from the pack
11:38
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Everyone out on track has the medium compound on - bar one. Red Bull have sent out Yuki Tsunoda with hard tyres on. It could be a big second half of the season for the Japanese driver, who is not yet assured of a place on the grid next season.
FP1 begins
11:33
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
We have F1 cars on track! Plenty of drivers are eager to get going again, including Lando Norris - winner in Zandvoort last year.
Lewis Hamilton determined to bring fun back to Formula One career
11:30
,
Jack Rathborn
Lewis Hamilton is determined to bring the fun back to his Formula One career and is confident that “sunnier days” are ahead for Ferrari.
“We’re going to work hard, keep our heads down, try to change a few things in our approach and start to enjoy ourselves,” Hamilton said.
“There’s been so much pressure in this first half of the season, it’s not been the most enjoyable.
“So I think just remembering that we love what we do, we’re all in this together and I’m trying to have some fun.
Lando Norris doing well to ‘block out noise’ in title fight – Carlos Sainz
11:15
,
Jack Rathborn
Carlos Sainz has praised Lando Norris for blocking out the “noise” during his title challenge and believes his former team-mate receives unfair criticism.
The British driver is locked in a championship battle with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, trailing by nine points heading into this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.
Norris has publicly questioned himself at various stages of the season, bemoaning poor qualifying performances and mistakes in races that allowed Piastri to take an early title lead.
“In a championship fight there’s always going to be ups and downs,” Sainz told the PA news agency in Zandvoort.
Cadillac play it safe with Bottas and Perez – an F1 line-up lacking one key ingredient
10:55
,
Jack Rathborn
As an F1 summer break distinctly lacking in speculation and conjecture draws to a close, confirmation of Cadillac’s first-ever Formula One driver line-up on Tuesday did not ruffle any feathers. For many months, the talk of the paddock was that Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez were the frontrunners to occupy the seats at F1’s soon-to-be 11th team. Ultimately, the powers that be at Cadillac’s new UK-based hub in Silverstone, and across the Atlantic in Indiana and North Carolina, ignored widely held wishes for youth and American involvement and instead plumped for both drivers.
In many regards, it is a decision steeped in realism and common sense. For an outfit joining the world’s most technical sport at the start of a new era, their driver line-up presented a chance to add know-how and expertise to their roster, less than seven months out from the team’s daunting debut in Australia.
F1 drivers arrive at Zandvoort
10:47
,
Jack Rathborn
George Russell issues update on Mercedes future ahead of Dutch Grand Prix
10:40
,
Jack Rathborn
George Russell has given an update on his future at Mercedes, insisting contract talks are progressing as he looks to secure his place on the team beyond the current season.
Talk of Max Verstappen switching from Red Bull died down over the summer after Mercedes principal Toto Wolff said the team had stopped exploring the idea. Wolff said he wanted to continue working with Russell and teenage teammate Kimi Antonelli going forwards, with a new engine era starting in 2026 and the Mercedes power unit expected to b