Free practice session actions at the Dutch Grand Prix
Ferrari moved ahead of Mercedes in the second free practice session at Zandvoort, with Monegasque Charles Leclerc posting the fastest lap time of 1:12.345. Teammate Carlos Sainz followed closely, clocking 1:12.349 and signaling a strong pace for the Italian squad as the afternoon unfolded.
Earlier in the day, British drivers dominated the morning session as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton steered the Mercedes pair, setting the tone for a competitive day. Yet the afternoon belonged to the high-performance machines of Ferrari and Red Bull, capturing the spotlight as teams tuned setups for the coming qualifying rounds.
With Australia’s Oscar Piastri newly confirmed by McLaren for 2023, the action at Zandvoort resumed in the early afternoon. Local favorite Max Verstappen, eager to impress his home crowd, took his turn behind the wheel as the action picked up again on the storied Dutch circuit.
Verstappen’s session began with some cautious runs as the car’s gearbox issue from earlier required quick checks that kept him off the gas for stretches. He then delivered a strong push, moving up the timesheets and setting a competitive pace that had fans on the edge of their seats.
Spaniard Carlos Sainz surged to the top of the leaderboard with a 1:13.412, a time that briefly eclipsed Verstappen’s best. He quickly improved his own time to 1:12.349, reclaiming provisional leadership and signaling Ferrari’s bold performance strategy for the day. The Red Bull squad focused on getting Verstappen’s car settled in the pits as the session approached its midpoint, with the defending champion briefly sitting in the mix in fifth position before continuing the push to higher speeds.
Under the Dutch sun, Verstappen’s presence lit up the track as he aimed to convert practice pace into competitive timing. His teammate Sergio Pérez, nicknamed Checo, also logged steady progress, though he appeared to face a few challenges as he tried to optimize the setup and balance of his car. In the closing minutes, the session took a dramatic turn when Yuki Tsunoda of Japan clipped the gravel, triggering a red flag that paused all activity for a short period. Once the track reopened with four minutes left, crews scrambled to refine their runs, but the top of the times remained in flux only briefly before the order began to stabilize again.
By the end of the session, the field’s order showed a blend of established contenders and rising challengers. British driver Lewis Hamilton, representing Mercedes, finished in third place, while Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, racing for Alpine, stood in seventh. The trials and triumphs of the session underscored the fast-paced, highly competitive nature of Formula 1 in the lead-up to the main event.
Free practice results for the Dutch Grand Prix, as logged by the teams and official timing, highlighted a clear hierarchy of speed, with Ferrari cars occupying the top two positions and Mercedes maintaining a strong presence in the top tier. The list below chronicles the final rankings from the session, illustrating how each driver and constructor fared in the critical early-weekend testing window.
1. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 1:12.345
2. Carlos Sainz ESP Ferrari 1:12.349
3. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 1:12.417
4. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 1:12.448
5. George Russell GBR Mercedes 1:12.655
6. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin 1:12.746
7. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 1:12.848
8. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 1:13.042
9. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 1:13.305
10. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 1:13.362
11. Yuki Tsunoda JPN AlphaTauri 1:13.419
12. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 1:13.493
13. Mick Schumacher GER Haas 1:13.604
14. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 1:13.611
15. Zhou Guanyu CHN Alfa Romeo 1:13.624
16. Pierre Gasly FRA AlphaTauri 1:13.666
17. Alexander Albon THA Williams 1:13.837
18. Valtteri Bottas FIN Alfa Romeo 1:14.167
19. Kevin Magnussen DEN Haas 1:14.282
20. Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams 1:14.797