Aug
On Saturday, might there be a battle for pole?
When F1 returned from its summer vacation, Max Verstappen was leading the way in the opening practice for the Dutch Grand Prix, much like how the first half of the season concluded.
On his return to his hometown at Zandvoort, the Red Bull Racing racer established an overall record of 1:11.852 to finish 0.278 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso, who was driving an Aston Martin.
As teams blew off their cobwebs ahead of the remaining 10 races of the year, Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes was third quickest, ahead of Sergio Perez of Red Bull in second.
Nico Hulkenberg’s crash into the gravel at the final turn was the only red flag in an otherwise uneventful session.
The Haas managed to get away with just minor damage, but they failed to re-join because they had become stranded and was facing the incorrect direction, leaving them with no choice but stop the track action.
One of the American-owned company’s few brand-new front wings was destroyed, which posed a challenge for the rest of the weekend.
Before the weekend, Lance Stroll suffered from an illness, but his Aston Martin also had a problem. The Canadian reported a ‘funny noise’ on an out lap 25 minutes into the practice, and his team called him back to the garage for assessment, ending the race without a lap time being recorded.
The typical Zandvoort traffic and sand problems also emerged, but will undoubtedly have a bigger impact on qualifying on Saturday.
Verstappen completed first quickest on all three tyre compounds, laying the foundation for a great weekend on the Softs, but when the checkered flag waved, he had to get through the gravel at Turn 12.
Had it not been for Hulkenberg’s collision, which prevented Hamilton from making any further progress on the red side-walled tyre, Hamilton would have been challenging the Dutchman’s time.
Williams appeared strong, with Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant finishing fifth and seventh, as well as McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on either side of them.
RESULT FREE PRACTICE 1 – DUTCH
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Max VERSTAPPEN | Red Bull | 1:11.852 |  |
| 2 |  Fernando ALONSO | Aston Martin | 1:12.130 | |
| 3 |  Lewis HAMILTON | Mercedes | 1:12.225 | |
VIEW FULL RESULTS
Esteban Ocon of Alpine was ninth most quickly ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, and George Russell finished only eleventh. On his best attempt, the Mercedes racer got stuck behind an Alfa Romeo.
In the second of the Alpines, Pierre Gasly finished in 12th place, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen, both of whom, like their teammate Hulkenberg, will be driving for Haas again in the year 2024.
Despite the fact that none of the trio finished a Soft-tyre lap, Valtteri Bottas was the leading Alfa Romeo in 15th place, ahead of Zhou Guanyu and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
Hulkenberg finished 18th, and Robert Shwartzman finished a crucial hour of racing in the second Ferrari as part of the rookie FP1 runs.
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F1, F1 2023, FIA, Formula 1, Grand Prix, Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen, Verstappen, Red Bull, Dutch Grand Prix, Dutch
