Championship leader Kimi Antonelli topped the only practice session at the Dutch Grand Prix, leading Lando Norris by 0.121s as Formula 1 returned from its summer break. Antonelli, who holds a 50-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers' Championship, asserted himself as favourite for Sprint Qualifying later on Friday at 3.30pm.

George Russell was third, just 0.125s adrift, while Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were fourth and fifth for Ferrari, whose new floor appeared effective. McLaren brought rear upgrades to contend with Mercedes and Ferrari. Oscar Piastri finished six tenths behind Norris, and Max Verstappen could only manage 11th, visibly struggling with car balance at his home event.

Liam Lawson replaced the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull and was 14th, while Yuki Tsunoda, now at Racing Bulls, was 17th. Pierre Gasly ran a major upgrade to eighth for Alpine, and Fernando Alonso was 12th for Aston Martin, 1.5 seconds off the pace — their closest margin this season. Sky Sports F1's Karun Chandhok noted the top runners were within three tenths, promising close competition.