2025 F1 Dutch GP FP1 and FP2: Results and Key Takeaways

The first day of running in the F1 Dutch GP ended with Lando Norris on top and Fernando Alonso finding himself in P2 within a tenth of the McLaren driver. The day was marred by far too many drivers making errors and going off.

The FP2 was filled with multiple stoppages, and even FP1 had Kimi Antonelli beaching his car. The track is quite unforgiving in general, but what also appears to be happening is that the conditions are playing a role as well. It's not often that we see Lewis Hamilton spinning his car twice in a day, but that's exactly what happened on Friday.

Hence, when the FP2 session ended, we had McLaren on top with Lando Norris. Fernando Alonso was P2 with a lap time that was less than a tenth off the Brit, with Oscar Piastri a few hundredths behind.

With the first day of running now done and everyone looking forward to qualifying, what did we learn? Let's take a look.

2025 F1 Dutch GP FP1 and FP2: What did we learn?

#1 McLaren holds a sizeable advantage

When McLaren just unleashed the pace in FP1, the first reaction was that the car can't really be that far ahead. Well, it's true. It was a car that was 1.5 seconds quicker than anything else.

However, as FP2 rolled on, it became clear that even though the McLaren is a handful, the car is fast, and the competition is behind by a decent buffer.

Would rain change things? Often this season, we've seen the car become even more competitive when it rains, so it's hard to make any assertions for now.

#2 Aston Martin is surprisingly good

The high downforce setup has truly helped Aston Martin to shine in a manner that many would not have expected. Fernando Alonso is loving what the car is able to do on track, and you can see it in the lap times as well.

With that being said, the 2025 F1 Dutch GP qualifying could potentially have Aston Martin as a dark horse for sure, but beyond that would be taking a little bit of a leap of faith.

#3 Ferrari might have been forced to lift the car due to plank issues

Ferrari was a handful and off the pace in both FP1 and FP2 of the F1 Dutch GP. This does come as a surprise for a car that was just remarkably brilliant in Hungary, another high-downforce track.

Unless we see the car make a substantial jump by Saturday, we might be looking at a scenario where the team has been forced to lift the car. When that happens, you lose performance, just like Ferrari seems to have done.

#4 Mercedes and Red Bull are just too far behind in the F1 Dutch GP

The deficit faced by both Red Bull and Mercedes at the F1 Dutch GP, on a track with a 69-second lap time, is slightly unexpected. With the McLaren's uncanny ability to get even better in the wet weather, it does look like a weekend where drivers like Max Verstappen and George Russell would be left fighting for scraps in the race.

#5 Midfield seems condensed and not separated by much

Some of the pecking order in the middle order is similar to what we saw in Hungary, as the high downforce nature of the circuit seems to be a factor. We've got Aston Martin in top form, and Williams appears to have a good car as well. Sauber, Racing Bulls, and Haas have also popped up on the timesheets a few times.

The F1 Dutch GP, that too in the wet weather, will see a lot of stuff come down to proper decision-making and being able to think on the go. Maybe Aston Martin is further up the grid compared to others, but rain is certainly going to mix things up here.