Max Verstappen ends in the gravel! All you need to know from Practice 1 in Zandvoort

Emily Nicole

Max Verstappen ends in the gravel! All you need to know from Practice 1 in Zandvoort image

It was business as usual as the McLaren duo topped the time sheet in the first session of the Dutch Grand Prix.

Lando Norris set a time of 1:10:287, being quickest overall, with championship leader Oscar Piastri two tenths of a second behind.

Home hero, Max Verstappen, topped the time sheets early in the session but dropped down to seventh once the chequered flag came out.

He ended up beached in the gravel on his in-lap to the pitlane after session. Verstappen was doing a practice start but locked up going into turn 1.

His teammate Yuki Tsunoda also ended up in the gravel as he brought out the first yellow flag of the weekend, 12 minutes into the session.

A few seconds later it became a red flag as Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli ended up beached in the gravel. His car was recovered and the session resumed.

The 18 year old's struggles seem to continue following the break and will have to make up for it in the afternoon session.

George Russell also took a little trip in the gravel toward the end of the session, but ultimately finished in the timings.

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Lewis Hamilton was back on track with a more positive mindset after a tough first half of the season.

Ahead of the weekend's action, the seven-time World Champion said he wanted to get back to enjoying the job

He took a full 360 spin during the session, complaining of spots on the tyres. 

It seemed like a slow session for the Ferraris, there were a second off the McLaren pace.

Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both did runs on the soft-compound tyres when Constructors Champions did, but it was underwhelming.

But it was an impressive session for the Aston Martins as Fernando Alonso and Lancde Stroll ending in the top four, while the Williams pair of Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz also put in top 10 timings.

Rain has been forecasted for the weekend, but FP1 just missed out on being effected by it. 

Windy conditions were present throughout the session. It then became a much darker and cloudy session towards the end, as the rain looked to be on it's way.

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Emily Nicole

Emily Nicole is a freelance contributor for The Sporting News. Emily is a sports journalist, with a passion for motorsport with professional experience across print, broadcast and social media. Emily holds a Journalism Bachelor’s Degree and a Media & Communications Master’s Degree, both from City, University of London. You can follow more of Emily's work on The F1 Rundown on TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@thef1rundown).