Antonelli tops Dutch GP practice as Red Bull struggles

Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli recorded the quickest time in the only practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix, posting a 1:12.949 lap on soft tyres. He finished 0.12 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, who was second, and teammate George Russell, who took third.

The session began on a damp track with drivers on intermediate tyres, but the surface quickly dried. Nico Hulkenberg noted the change, saying, "I think it’s slicks," and teams switched to medium compounds within minutes. Oscar Piastri set an early benchmark on mediums, later improving as the track evolved.

Antonelli’s pace improved steadily, with lap times dropping from 1:18.264 to 1:15.531 in his first three runs. He also suffered a spin at Turn 10, commenting, "I don’t know what the heck happened there."

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton briefly led the timesheets before Norris posted the fastest lap of the session at 1:13.105, only to be eclipsed by Antonelli’s final run, which was 0.156 seconds quicker.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson struggled, finishing 11th and 14th respectively. Verstappen reported gearbox down-shift issues and oversteer, adding that he went off at the final corner.

The top six positions were occupied by Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari, with Audi’s Hulkenberg rounding out the top ten. Sprint qualifying is scheduled for Friday afternoon.