It’s been a pretty strange race weekend at Zandvoort so far. FP1 didn’t look like it was going to happen at times due to the strong wind and rain, but then the session finished under clear blue skies. The wind continued into FP2, which was overcast before the final practice session. Following Logan Sargeant’s heavy crash 15 minutes into the session, the session was halted with a very long red flag.

That means the competitive picture is pretty hard to gauge at the moment. FP2 is our best guide, meaning George Russell and Mercedes are likely to go into qualifying as favourites for pole. Russell displaced Oscar Piastri from P1 yesterday, followed by his respective teammates Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris in P3 and P4. Norris seemed optimistic about McLaren’s upgrades after the company unveiled its first major package since Miami, but expected the car’s performance to increase even further.

Local hero Max Verstappen, who has won all three Dutch Grand Prix events at Zandvoort since returning to the calendar, is less pleased. Despite finishing just three tenths behind Russell at the top in FP2, finishing fifth, he remains doubtful about Red Bull’s chances of challenging for the win. But given his past weekends and his track record here, it would be foolish to rule Verstappen out.

It is likely to be another exciting, open battle for pole position, especially as it is still raining in the area.