Dutch GP: Max Verstappen tops Practice One in Zandvoort as Lewis Hamilton shows encouraging pace for Mercedes

Max Verstappen topped first practice at his home race; Fernando Alonso was second, with Lewis Hamilton third; session was interrupted by red flag following Nico Hulkenberg crash

Nico Hulkenberg crashes his Haas at the penultimate corner during first practice ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen topped first practice at the Dutch Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton showed encouraging pace for Mercedes to take third.

Verstappen, who is chasing a record-equalling ninth successive victory, delighted his home fans by continuing the dominant form that had seen him open a 125-point lead ahead of Formula 1's summer break.

Fernando Alonso was second in the upgraded Aston Martin, but it was Hamilton in third who appeared most likely to challenge Verstappen, with the seven-time world champion having multiple flying laps interrupted.

The latter, in which he had set an impressive first sector, was halted by Haas' Nico Hulkenberg crashing at Turn 13, prompting a red flag and seven-minute delay.

Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate and nearest title challenger, Sergio Perez, was fourth, with the team looking to maintain their streak of having won all 12 races this season.

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Williams delivered an impressive performance as Alex Albon claimed fifth and team-mate Logan Sargeant took seventh, with McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri each slotting in behind them.

Ferrari, who had Robert Shwartzman driving in place of Carlos Sainz in one of their allocated rookie sessions, were well off the pace.

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Charles Leclerc finished 16th, more than 1.6s back from Verstappen, while Shwartzman was last among drivers who set a time.

Sky Sports' F1 Bernie Collins and Karun Chandhok take a look at Aston Martin's upgrades following the summer break.

The one car that failed to do that was the Aston Martin Lance Stroll after the Canadian was forced out of the session by a suspected power unit issue.

With the season resuming after a near month-long break, there was plenty of experimentation occurring in the early stages as teams used aids such as flow-vis paint and aerodynamic rakes.

Drivers also had to contend with the sand that had been blown onto the track in the Dutch coastal town, meaning Friday's second session at 3pm is likely to paint a clearer picture of the pecking order going into the weekend.

Dutch GP Practice One Timesheet

Driver Team Time
1) Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:11.852
2) Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.278
3) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.373
4) Sergio Perez Red Bull +0.471
5) Alex Albon Williams +0.595
6) Lando Norris McLaren +0.608
7) Logan Sargeant Williams +0.765
8) Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.806
9) Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri +0.897
10) Esteban Ocon Alpine +0.950
11) George Russell Mercedes +0.961
12) Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.043
13) Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri +1.138
14) Kevin Magnussen Haas +1.470
15) Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +1.596
16) Charles Leclerc Ferrari +1.667
17) Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +1.974
18) Nico Hulkenberg Haas +2.171
19) Robert Shwartzman Ferrari +2.951
20) Lance Stroll Aston Martin No time

Sky Sports F1's live Dutch GP schedule

FRIDAY AUGUST 25
12.55pm: F2 Qualifying
2.45pm: Dutch GP Practice Two (session starts 3pm)
4.15pm: The F1 Show

SATURDAY AUGUST 26
10.15am: Dutch GP Practice Three (session starts 10.30am)
12.10pm: F2 Sprint Race
1.15pm: Dutch GP Qualifying build-up
2pm: Dutch GP Qualifying

SUNDAY AUGUST 27
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Dutch GP build-up
2pm: THE DUTCH GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Dutch GP reaction
5.30pm: Dutch GP highlights

Formula 1 returns after the summer break with the Dutch GP and all sessions will be live on Sky Sports F1 from this Friday. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW for just £26 a month for 12 months. Cancel anytime

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