Norris tops timesheets as Verstappen spins in a tricky FP1

How a rainy FP1 unfolded:

Thousands of dedicated Dutch fans braved the conditions to see some F1 return to the track after a long summer break. Pierre Gasly was the first driver to venture onto the sodden-wet Zandvoort circuit. The Frenchman told his team the wind was 'wild'. A few minutes later, Nico Hulkenberg's Haas, at low speed, headed across the gravel in the windy and wet conditions. The German driver headed back to the pits. On his second run, Hulkenberg went straight into the gravel again on a cold set of wet tyres. There was also a driver change in FP1 as Robert Schwartzman sat in for Valtteri Bottas in the first free practice session but was unable to enjoy any real running for the majority of the session due to the weather. 

Verstappen faces an early challenge

Charles Leclerc was the first driver to set a meaningful lap time. The Monegasque set a 1.26.530 on the wet tyres. After this lap, the conditions improved rather drastically as home hero Max Verstappen headed out onto the circuit on the green intermediate tyres. The 61-time Grand Prix winner spun at a slippery turn 12, pirouetting his car immediately back in the right direction, which was met with a huge cheer from the Dutch fans who braved the weather.

As the track continued to dry, intermediates continued to be placed on more and more cars. Laps around a now-sunny Zandvoort circuit continued to come through, and a dry line began to emerge. With 10 minutes to go, Lando Norris led the way with a 1.20.392 on the inters, but a frenzy of soft laps was set in the closing stages as practice finally came to life.

Norris went purple in sectors one and two but was still very careful in the final part of the lap to find the dry line on his soft tyres. He crossed the line to go top of the timesheets with a 1.14.519, more than 10 seconds faster than earlier in the session. The red soft tyre became the choice for the majority of the field, and only the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz opted for the medium compound as all 20 cars took to the track in the closing stages.

With circuit evolution happening every lap, the leaderboard was constantly changing. The McLarens appeared to be the early challenger as the team to beat, but George Russell kept himself tight on their tail. As did Lewis Hamilton who finished in third. The Brit's last lap was interfered with by traffic. Lando Norris's last lap of 1.12.322 was good enough to top the timesheets as conditions changed drastically in FP1.

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