If Friday’s first two apply periods on the Method 1 Dutch Grand Prix are any indication, the second half of the season will start the way in which the primary half ended.
Lando Norris, who closed out the primary half of the marketing campaign by profitable three of the ultimate 4 races earlier than the Summer season Shutdown, topped the timing sheets in each FP1 and FP2 on a blustery day at Zandvoort. Norris, who trails teammate Oscar Piastri by simply 9 factors within the Drivers’ Championship race, set a benchmark time of 1:10.278 within the first apply session, with Piastri 0.292 seconds off the tempo.
Norris managed to trim a while off that tempo within the second hour of apply, posting a session-best 1:09.890.
Maybe the most important shock got here from Aston Martin. Not solely did Alonso end second in FP2, simply 0.087 seconds behind Norris, however each Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll completed inside the highest 4 within the first hour of apply. Stroll’s time was adequate for third, 0.501 seconds behind Norris, whereas Alonso completed fourth in FP1, 0.563 seconds behind Norris.
Stroll, nevertheless, suffered a big shunt at Flip 3 within the second hour of apply, bringing his FP2 session to an early finish:
That introduced out the primary pink flag of the second apply session, with Alexander Albon’s crash at Flip 1 bringing out a second pink flag.
On the opposite aspect of the ledger, a few of the regular favorites endured their share of struggles Friday on the Dutch Grand Prix. Ferrari’s duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton languished behind the grid in FP1, with Leclerc in P14 and Hamilton in P15. For Leclerc, it was the second sector that was his undoing, as his finest time in S2 was eclipsed by many of the grid, together with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who completed behind him in P18.
At one level, Leclerc radioed into his workforce that they wanted to give attention to their very own applications and never the opposite groups, as they’re “miles” off the tempo.
Issues improved for Ferrari in FP2 as Hamilton completed sixth and Leclerc completed eighth, however they’re nonetheless a bit off the tempo of McLaren.
As is the remainder of the grid.
The groups will reset in a single day, forward of Saturday’s FP3 session and the all-important qualifying hour on the Dutch Grand Prix.