Kimi Antonelli has hit the ground running after the summer break, setting the fastest time in Friday's opening practice session at Zandvoort. The Mercedes driver clocked a 1:12.949 to edge out Lando Norris in the McLaren by just 0.121 seconds, with teammate George Russell rounding out the top three. It's a solid start for the Silver Arrows, but there's plenty of work to do before the Sprint Qualifying session later this afternoon.

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Ferrari's new arrivals at Zandvoort are making an impact straight away. Lewis Hamilton put his Ferrari fourth overall, less than two tenths back from Russell, while Charles Leclerc rounded out the top five. The Scuderia have brought some serious hardware upgrades to the Dutch circuit, including revisions to the SF-26's bargeboard and a potential new floor to debut during the Sprint. Early signs suggest they're competitive, though there's clearly more to come as the team evaluates their new components.

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The squeeze is real this weekend with only one practice run before the high-stakes Sprint. Finding the right setup becomes absolutely crucial when you've got limited track time to work with, especially for teams running fresh parts. Mercedes and Ferrari both arrived with upgrade packages, while McLaren looks sharp too. Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson appear a bit off the pace in eleventh and fourteenth respectively, but it's far too early to draw conclusions.

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Notable struggles came for Williams and Cadillac, with Carlos Sainz and the Cadillac pair of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez finishing well down the order. Sainz in particular looks like he's got plenty to sort out if Williams want to challenge at the front. The midfield is bunched up as usual, with Nico Hulkenberg's Audi, Pierre Gasly's Alpine, and Gabriel Bortoleto's other Audi all within striking distance of the leaders. This Sprint format keeps things unpredictable, and with upgrades still being evaluated, expect some serious shuffling before tomorrow's qualifying begins.

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