Max Verstappen immediately showed his form during the first free practice. The Dutchman and leader in the World Cup standings set the fastest time at Zandvoort: 1.11.852. Verstappen was followed by Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
Max Verstappen started the first free practice session in Zandvoort on Friday afternoon on his ‘home circuit’, amid loud cheering. The leader in the World Cup standings shared the fastest time with his teammate Sergio Pérez: 1.15.393. It then continued to exchange penny between drivers for the lead for a long time. Lewis Hamilton, Logan Sargeant and Pérez smoke in the lead.
In the final phase, Verstappen switched from hard (slower) tires to softer (faster) tires to still record the fastest time. Those aspirations could quickly be put on hold after Nico Hülkenberg completely planted his car in the wall. The German had a broken front wing and the red flag led to a short break. All cars had to go to the pit box so that the car could be towed away.
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Verstappen had ten minutes after the interruption to knock his teammate off the throne. That reaction came quickly, because the Dutchman beat Pérez’s time by four tenths: 1.11, 852. In the final lap Verstappen drove through the gravel trap, but that did not cause any damage and he did not relinquish first place. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton were second and third. Teammate Pérez was fourth fastest.
The second free practice in Zandvoort starts on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m.