Dutch Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: Mercedes in the lead, Verstappen retires
Free practice 1 took place in the Netherlands at 12:30 Paris time. The session took place under beautiful weather and the drivers were able to showcase their talents on the track. The Mercedes made a strong impression by finishing in the top two positions ahead of Sainz.
As planned, the drivers took off with the hardest range of tires. Most of them opted for the red compound throughout the session, which is the softest option provided by Pirelli.
The drivers found the track again and had to reacquaint themselves with the turns and bankings (vertically inclined turns). They also had to adapt to the small changes made to the circuit for this year, with the second extended DRS zone being tested during Free Practice 1.
It was Verstappen’s return in front of his home crowd after winning the world championship. He couldn’t showcase his full potential due to an early gearbox issue during the session. The local hero finished the session in second-to-last position with only 7 laps.
The two Mercedes finished in the top two positions ahead of Sainz’s Ferrari. They finished just a few hundredths apart, but it’s Russell who is ahead of Hamilton. The top four are within four tenths of each other, with a similar number of laps between 28 and 31.
Great performance from McLaren – Norris and Ricciardo finishing 4th and 5th. A good omen for the rest of the weekend as the Alpines tested some new features. Sergio Perez, on the second Red Bull, only manages the 7th fastest time, almost a second off Russell. He is just ahead of the Alpines of Alonso and Ocon.
Several changes occurred during the session with suspension heights ranging from high to low, depending on the teams.
Schumacher could be warned by the FIA as he left the pit lane while the light was still red. He finished 11th in the session.
The teams will continue to make changes to the cars in order to improve their performance and try to secure points this weekend.
The results of Free Practice 1 of the 2022 Dutch Grand Prix:
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russell | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:12.455 | 28 | |
| 2 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:12.695 | +0.240 | 27 |
| 3 | Sainz | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:12.845 | +0.390 | 29 |
| 4 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:12.929 | +0.474 | 31 |
| 5 | Ricciardo | McLaren F1 Team | 1:13.077 | +0.622 | 30 |
| 6 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:13.127 | +0.672 | 29 |
| 7 | Perez | Red Bull Racing | 1:13.416 | +0.961 | 29 |
| 8 | Alonso | Alpine F1 Team | 1:13.633 | +1.178 | 30 |
| 9 | Ocon | Alpine F1 Team | 1:13.963 | +1.508 | 32 |
| 10 | Albon | Williams Racing | 1:14.063 | +1.608 | 28 |
| 11 | Schumacher | Haas F1 Team | 1:14.163 | +1.708 | 28 |
| 12 | Stroll | Cognizant Aston Martin Racing | 1:14.257 | +1.802 | 29 |
| 13 | Magnussen | Haas F1 Team | 1:14.405 | +1.950 | 30 |
| 14 | Gasly | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:14.474 | +2.019 | 27 |
| 15 | Vettel | Cognizant Aston Martin Racing | 1:14.500 | +2.045 | 27 |
| 16 | Zhou | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:14.534 | +2.079 | 17 |
| 17 | Tsunoda | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:14.630 | +2.175 | 31 |
| 18 | Bottas | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:14.695 | +2.240 | 21 |
| 19 | Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:14.714 | +2.259 | 7 |
| 20 | Latifi | Williams Racing | 1:15.122 | +2.667 | 32 |
