Dutch Grand Prix 2026 – Friday

The Formula 1 circus returned from its summer break at Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, with overcast skies and light drizzle greeting the teams during Friday’s opening session. The first practice ran under low-grip conditions before the track dried and crews switched to slick tyres. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1’s Kimi Antonelli topped the times in the opening practice, while George Russell finished third. Both drivers advanced to the final sprint shootout, but Antonelli suffered floor damage after clipping the gravel in the first sector of SQ1, costing the team track time and leaving him two-tenths adrift of Russell in the final shootout. Russell sealed sprint pole with a 1:11.567 lap, while Antonelli lined up fifth. The Italian admitted the damage had shaken his confidence, but stressed the tight margins meant positives could still be taken into the sprint. Russell, meanwhile, called it a confidence boost after a run of mixed form and said he’d approached the weekend with a clear mind. Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin praised the team’s recovery work after the break and said the car had felt competitive in the first running, though he admitted they’d need to dig into why they lacked edge in the faster sectors ahead of Saturday’s qualifying. With the 24-lap sprint on Saturday morning and the Grand Prix qualifying later in the afternoon, the stage is set for a tight Dutch duel where clean starts and strategy will be critical on a circuit notorious for overtaking difficulties.