Netherlands – EL1: Norris beats Verstappen after the rain

After a first part of the session disrupted by rain, the drivers returned to their cars. However, we had to wait until the last quarter of an hour to find any trace of slick tires. With the return of the Norris-Verstappen duel in the background.

Published on 23/08/2024 à 13:38

Jeremy Satis

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Netherlands – EL1: Norris beats Verstappen after the rain

Lando Norris, best time in FP1. © Florent Gooden / DPPI

Let's be honest, it wasn't the most exciting start to school in the history we've had to deal with on the Zandvoort side. On the shores of the North Sea, the pilots were slow to actually hit the track, due to bad weather and heavy rain falling on the track. Result ? A soggy tarmac for a good half hour, which pushed everyone to wait as long as possible before going out. Charles Leclerc was the first to set a mark after 18 minutes of session in 1'26"530 on 100% rain rubber.
The local hero Max Verstappen waited until midterms to come out and raise a soggy orange army. He even put on a show with an inconsequential spin on his first exit lap. This did not prevent him four minutes later from lowering the time bar by almost 5 seconds by being the first to pass the intermediate rubber. The session therefore unofficially lasted half an hour. However, we had to wait until the last quarter of an hour to see slicks on the track, and mainly softs.
In this little game, Norris, Russell and Piastres took turns trading first position as the track gained second after second. On the checkerboard, it's finally Lando Norris who had the last word, 2/10th ahead of Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton (3rd) and George Russell (5th) also seem in good shape, even if they did not have the opportunity to improve at the end of the session.
Fourth on the grid last year, Alexander albon definitely seems to like this Zandvoort track, since he set the 6th fastest time in FP1. Note the nice session also from the two drivers Haas, 8th and 9th in EL1, ahead Guanyu-Zhou (10e).
For its part, Ferrari surprised by not using the soft compound at all and choosing to ride the last quarter of an hour on medium compounds. This did not prevent Carlos Sainz, recently announced at Williams for 2025 and beyond, to perform and take 3rd place in the session, sandwiched between the two drivers Mercedes.
Note Robert Shwartzman's nice session in the Sauber. The Ferrari protégé was ahead of Guanyu Zhou for a long time in the session, before finishing 7/10th behind his one-day Chinese teammate. Side Alpine, Or with et gasly finished 18th and 20th respectively.
See you at 16 p.m. for Free Practice 2.