George Russell has set the fastest lap time in the first free practice session of the Dutch Grand Prix.
Five days after the Belgian GP, the Formula 1 triple-header continued at Zandvoort. The Dutch GP race weekend kicked off with FP1 on Friday afternoon.
One of the things to watch was the trial of an extended DRS zone. Drivers had an opportunity to open their rear wings at turn 14.
Almost the entire grid left the pits when the session started to begin practice programs. Mick Schumacher brought yellow flags after going off the track at turn 11.
The home Grand Prix did not start well for Max Verstappen. He stopped at the track and reported issues with his gearbox. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Later on, the session was red-flagged. FP1 was over for Verstappen.
After the session was restarted, drivers were running on either Soft or Hard tires. Sergio Perez went through the grass at turn 9 and was close to the wall during his run.
More drivers switched to Softs for qualifying simulations in the closing stages of FP1.
Lando Norris and Sebastian Vettel were close to a collision. The McLaren driver expressed his frustration with the German’s actions through team radio.
George Russell topped the standings of FP1. Lewis Hamilton was second, while Carlos Sainz completed the top 3 of the session.
