FP1: Antonelli leads Norris and Russell in sole practice session ahead of Dutch GP

Kimi Antonelli finished fastest in Free Practice 1 ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix as Formula 1 returned from its summer break, the Mercedes driver beating McLaren's Lando Norris and team mate George Russell.

The Italian posted a 1m 12.949s, which left him just one-tenth clear of both Norris and Russell at the Zandvoort Circuit, which is set to host an F1 event for the final time this weekend.

With only a single hour of practice ahead of Sprint Qualifying later on Friday afternoon, teams and drivers immediately headed out once the session got underway at 1230 local time to gather valuable data.

But conditions were far from optimal, with the track having been declared wet as damp patches remained scattered around the circuit, and the early runners ventured out on the intermediate tyre.

After only several laps, though, drivers soon switched to Pirelli's slick rubber and times began to plummet as the track continued to dry.

Antonelli, who leads the drivers' standings by 50 points heading into the second half of the season, soon began to appear at the top of the timing screens, the Mercedes driver posting a 1m 15.351s with the medium tyre approaching the 15-minute mark.

As team mate Russell went fastest after becoming the first driver to dip below the 1m 15s barrier – setting a 1m 14.951s – Carlos Sainz recovered back to the pits after running wide and into the gravel at Turn 13.

The Williams driver was soon off the road again at Turn 11, while at the top of the times, Ferrari began to showcase its pace with Charles Leclerc and then Lewis Hamilton going fastest – the latter registering a 1m 14.259s.

Just before the halfway point, Antonelli suffered a spin on the exit of Turn 10, explaining over the radio "I don't know what happened there", before recovering unharmed after showcasing the lack of track grip.

Leclerc's 1m 14.146s remained the fastest time until the final 10 minutes as drivers focused on long runs before switching to the soft, red-walled tyre for pure, one-lap pace.

Leclerc, Hamilton and Norris all reached the top, before Antonelli set a 1m 12.949s in the final minutes to end the session fastest as rain threatened to fall at the chequered flag.

The Italian was left 0.121s clear of Norris, followed by Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc, and the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri.

Audi's Nico Hulkenberg led Pierre Gasly's Alpine, the second Audi of Gabriel Bortoleto as Arvid Lindblad's Racing Bulls completed the top-10.

Home hero Max Verstappen was only P11, the Red Bull driver having suffered a small excursion at Turn 13 briefly, followed by Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), with Liam Lawson P14 after being drafted into the Red Bull team in place of the injured Isack Hadjar.

Ollie Bearman led Haas team mate Esteban Ocon, followed by the returning Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Alex Albon (Williams).

The order was completed by the Cadillacs of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, with Sainz in last after suffering floor damage in his earlier excursion.