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ZANDVORT, Netherlands: Britain’s Lando Norris was fastest in the first practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix on Friday, beating local favourite Max Verstappen in extremely unpredictable weather conditions at the Zandvoort circuit.
It was typical Dutch coastal weather, with the weather changing from pouring rain to bright sunshine and back again in a matter of minutes, making tyres and racing strategy a real headache.
In a thrilling final lap of practice, Verstappen briefly set the fastest lap time in the Red Bull before McLaren’s Norris retook the lead with a time of 1:12.322.
Verstappen was just 0.201s behind, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton third, 0.483s behind the Dutchman. On the slippery track, even Verstappen’s wheels locked and spun out of control just as he was about to set the fastest lap.
Then, the clouds dispersed, the sun rose, the lap time was significantly faster, and the lead changed hands many times in the one-hour practice session. Since the “home” Grand Prix resumed in 2021, local hero Verstappen has never lost in the “home” Grand Prix.
McLaren’s British driver Lando Norris poses for a photo in the paddock ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix at Zandvoort
The three-time champion started the season in fine form, picking up where he left off in 2023 and winning seven of the first 10 races. But by his high standards he has endured a slump, failing to take the chequered flag in the past four grands prix – his barrenest stretch since 2020.
That gives the chasing pack, led by Norris, some hope that they can somehow prevent Verstappen from taking an easy fourth world title. Norris trails Verstappen by 78 points in the drivers’ standings and while he hopes to overtake the Dutchman, he is realistic about his chances ahead of the race.
“There are a lot of points and the opponent is Max, so I want to be optimistic and say there are still chances. I know there are a lot of chances and it will be a very difficult challenge.”
His boss, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, said Norris “definitely has the potential to be a world champion and he’s performing at world champion level.”
However, Stella told reporters that it was still an open question whether he could top the list this year. “From a drivers’ championship point of view, numerically it looks like there is still a big gap to fill and we are chasing Max Verstappen, so he will certainly not make it easy for us,” Stella said. “But we are very happy to be in this position.”
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