© Vladimir Rys2024 Dutch Grand Prix - Free Practice ReportRain and high winds in Zandvoort greet the end of the summer break
Intestingweather,MaxandChecostruggledtohitthetopofthetimesheetsinFriday’sthrillingFreePracticesessions.Maxwentforaspinonawettrackearlyintheday,andChecotookthegravelinbothsessions.
The return of Formula One saw the most exciting Free Practice One of the season, where Max was pipped to the top spot by a margin of 0.201s thanks to McLaren’s Lando Norris in the closing moments of the session.
The start was cagey due to a wet and windy track in Zandvoort, and only a few cars went out on track in full wets to test the conditions. It took 18 minutes of the session to elapse before the first lap time was set. That was a time of 1:26.530, set by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Checo was the first Bull to join the action, and with 34 minutes remaining, he entered the track on the blue-walled, full-wet tyres. It was only a sighting lap, and he returned to the garage without setting a time.
As the track continued to dry, every team was eager to see who would test the green intermediate tyres first, and that honour fell to Max, who left the garage for the first time. On his first flying lap, he spun in sector three after going purple in the first two sectors. After regaining control, Max went straight into another push lap, setting a time of 1:21:300—the fastest time of the session so far.
Max in the drivers seat once more© Getty Images
Checo also tried the intermediate tyres but on his flying lap he clipped the grass and went off on turn one. He was able to control his RB20 without any damage but returned to the garage again without setting a time.
For this weekend, the slick tyre choices begin with the soft tyre being the C3, meaning the hard tyre will be the C1, the hardest in the range. Zandvoort, with its banked corners and quick lap times, is known to be quick drying, so technical knowledge of how the tyres react is vitally important. With that said, it’s no surprise that with 10 minutes remaining, Mercedes’ George Russell went out on slicks, closely followed by Lando Norris and Max.
Max was able to set three push laps in the remaining time but was under pressure from both Norris and Russell. His first push lap put him in P3, but he was quickly bumped down. His second, a time of 1:14.281, saw him in P2, but he was pushed down once again.
The chequered flag was waving as Max crossed the line on his final lap, which was 1:12.523, placing him P1, but Norris was just behind and beat Max by 0.201s to take the fastest time of the session.
Checo improved with every push lap, but his fastest time of 1:14.279 was only quick enough to see him finish Free Practice One in P12.
A crowd of orange© Getty Images
The latter session of the day saw a dry circuit and the Bulls were keen to get out and attack the track.
Both drivers put in one push lap on the medium tyre before returning to the pits for a front wing flap adjustment. Checo set his time of 1:13.108 first, placing him in P1. Max quickly overshadowed that by setting a 1:12.131, knocking his teammate down to P2. The Bulls were split, with Max holding on to top spot before being knocked down to P2 by Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. Before Max could reply, the red flags were waved for Nico Hulkenberg, who crashed into the barrier at the tricky turn one of the circuit.
When the pitlane reopened, Max and Checo headed out on soft tyres for a qualifying run. Max set a time of 1:10.996, placing him P1 at that point in the session. Checo’s time of 1:11.581 put him in third.
Unfortunately for Bulls, their qualifying laps weren’t quick enough to keep them in the positions they hoped for. Max slipped down to P5 after George Russell finished top with a 1:10.702. Oscar Piastri was second, Lewis Hamilton in third, and Lando Norris in fourth. Checo’s time saw him finish the opening day in 12th.
