Formula One championship leader Kimi Antonelli made a strong start to the second half of the season, setting the fastest time for Mercedes during Friday’s sole practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix.
The Italian, who turns 20 next week, topped the timesheets at Zandvoort with a lap of one minute 12.949 seconds.
McLaren’s reigning world champion Lando Norris finished second, just 0.121 seconds behind Antonelli, on a dry track after rain disrupted the opening part of the day.
Norris, who won at Zandvoort in 2024, heads into the weekend after victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer break. McLaren are aiming for a third consecutive Dutch Grand Prix victory.
Mercedes’ George Russell was third fastest, 0.125 seconds off Antonelli’s pace, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finished fourth.
Hamilton, who trails Antonelli by 50 points in the championship standings after 11 rounds, was 0.190 seconds slower than the Mercedes driver. Antonelli endured a brief scare during the session when he spun 360 degrees with around 30 minutes remaining.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fifth, followed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly completed the top eight and was the final driver to finish within one second of Antonelli’s benchmark time.
The Dutch Grand Prix is being staged under the sprint format, with qualifying for Saturday’s 100-kilometre sprint race scheduled for later on Friday. Qualifying for Sunday’s main race will take place on Saturday afternoon.
Home favourite and four-time world champion Max Verstappen could only manage 11th fastest. The Red Bull driver reportedly struggled with oversteer during the session.
Red Bull’s stand-in driver Liam Lawson, who has been promoted following Isack Hadjar’s wrist injury, finished 14th.
Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad was 10th, while temporary teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who has stepped into Lawson’s vacated seat, was 17th.
Aston Martin also showed signs of progress, with Fernando Alonso finishing 12th after benefiting from an upgraded Honda engine. His teammate Lance Stroll ended the session in 18th.
This weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix is expected to be particularly significant for fans, with Zandvoort set to host Formula One for the final time for the foreseeable future after Sunday’s race.