The 2026 Formula 1 season is back after the summer break at Zandvoort for Round 12. During the only Free Practice session of the weekend, Kimi Antonelli topped the timesheet ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell.

Beginning of The Session

As the only Free Practice began, Nico Hülkenberg was the first on track, using Intermediates. However, after a lap, several drivers, including Oscar Piastri, switched to Medium tyres.

Piastri set the first early benchmark on Mediums, with a 1:20.480. However, Kimi Antonelli quickly beat the McLaren driver’s time. Meanwhile, home hero Max Verstappen didn’t set an early time and remained in the pits for the first 15 minutes.

Charles Leclerc had a strong opening lap, climbing up to second behind Antonelli. However, as drivers continued to improve, the top 10 kept changing.

In the first 20 minutes, Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren seemed to be the fastest on track, rotating as the provisional fastest continuously. The Red Bull drivers were sitting right behind them.

Halfway Through the Session

The session reached its halfway point without any major incidents, except a small spin from Antonelli. Luckily, with no interruption. Lewis Hamilton took provisional fastest from his teammate, both ahead of the Mercedes.

From that point on, the grid stabilised and so did the weather. However, some rain was expected by the end of the session.

With 20 minutes remaining, drivers started converting to long runs. However, this time it was Hamilton who had a bit of a scare as he went into the gravel.

As the session reached its last minutes, drivers started to set the last flying laps. Ultimately, after the back-and-forth, Kimi Antonelli was fastest overall.

Surprises of The Session

Liam Lawson, who was momentarily promoted to Red Bull following Isack Hadjar’s injury, was a positive surprise. The driver from New Zealand was sitting right behind the leading pack.

Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda, driving for Racing Bulls for the first time this season, was in 13th. The Japanese driver made the most out of the session, trying to get used to the car.

Liam Lawson finished the session in 14th after encountering a lot of traffic in his last lap. Yuki Tsunoda finished in 17th.