FP1: Hamilton beats Verstappen in shortened first practice as F1 returns to Zandvoort

It was Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton who got his Dutch Grand Prix weekend off to the best possible start, going fastest in Free Practice 1 as Formula 1 returned to Zandvoort for the first time since 1985, ahead of home hero Max Verstappen and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz – as the session was foreshortened by a 35-minute red flag period caused by a stoppage for Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel.

As the drivers headed out onto the reworked 2.6-mile circuit, with F1 returning to the track after a 36-year absence, Yuki Tsunoda was the first to be caught out, spinning his AlphaTauri AT02 after just two minutes.

AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from first practice for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort

But it was Sebastian Vettel with the biggest problems in FP1, the German winding up P19 after running just six laps – during which he complained of an MGU-K issue – before pulling up with 16 minutes of the session gone after an “engine failure”, as he put it.

Vettel then acted as firefighter, as he grabbed an extinguisher to attempt to cool parts of his AMR21, as the session endured a 35-minute red flag period, as the car was recovered.

With seven minutes to go in the session following Vettel’s red flag, there was then a mad scramble to complete soft laps around Zandvoort, with Hamilton stopping the clocks with a lap of 1m 11.500s to lead his first FP1 of the season.

The fans have flocked to Zandvoort for just one driver though. And Max Verstappen would finish just 0.097s behind his title rival in P2, as the Ferrari pair of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc went P3 and P4, ahead of the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas.

READ MORE: Home hero Verstappen itching for low fuel qualifying runs at ‘very special’ revamped Zandvoort track

The Alpines of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon were flying in formation, as they took sixth and seventh, as Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.

McLaren’s Lando Norris had headed the running ahead of the red flag after his medium-shod run. But with Norris failing to improve on his soft tyre laps, and enduring a dip into the gravel at the old school Zandvoort track, the Briton ended up P11, ahead of the Williams of Nicholas Latifi.

Fresh from the announcement of his retirement from the sport at the end of the season, Kimi Raikkonen was 13th, ahead of the McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo and star of Spa George Russell.

Sergio Perez was a lowly 16th for Red Bull, with more to come from the Mexican, as he finished just two-tenths clear of the Haas of Nikita Mazepin, himself three-tenths up on team mate Mick Schumacher.

WATCH: Follow Lewis Hamilton round on a full lap of the reworked Zandvoort circuit

After Vettel in 19th, Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the field, the Japanese driver setting just three laps before being consigned to his garage with an issue – painful, given that Tsunoda has never experienced the Dutch track before.

So that was the order as F1 returns to Zandvoort. But with more representative running expected in FP2, the Dutch fans will be hoping for their man Verstappen to strike back on Friday afternoon. Join us then on F1.com.