The upgraded McLaren, the first improvements since the Miami Grand Prix in May, is the leading the field on Max Verstappen's home turf.

Oscar Piastri has his new helmet on and is able to beat team-mate Lando Norris' time by nearly two tenths on the same soft tyre.

In casr you missed it, Piastri revealed he had been driving with a broken rib for the three races leading up to the summer break at Silverstone, Hungary and Belgium.

Max Verstappen sets the pace on the softs straight away with a 1:10.986 in the Red Bull.

So what can Lando Norris do? Something better?

Yep. The McLaren driver has found something extra to sit top by 0.025 seconds.

The red flag has come to an end and Nico Hulkenberg has walked away from his crash and is safely heading back to the Haas garage.

That stoppage has led many teams putting on the soft tyres quickly as to not miss any more essential running ahead of tomorrow's qualifying session.

Red flagpublished at 15:22 British Summer Time 23 August

15:22 BST 23 August

Nico Hulkenberg locked up at Turn One which caused the Haas to spin and go backwards, rear first, across the gravel. The German's car then came to a stop with a bump into the barriers on the right-hand side.

"I don't know what happened there," said Hulkenberg. "Rear completely locked up."

Red flagpublished at 15:19 British Summer Time 23 August

15:19 BST 23 August

The stoppage is for the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg, who has crashed into the barriers at Turn One.

Red flagpublished at 15:18 British Summer Time 23 August

15:18 BST 23 August

There's a red flag for... I don't know what, as Sky Sports has gone to the adverts.

We'll all find out together shortly.

George Russell is the next driver to try and challenge Max Verstappen best marker but the Mercedes man slips into second place instead, just over a tenth away the Dutchman's time on the same medium tyres.

One person who can knock Verstappen off the top spot if Russell's team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who goes fastest with a 1:11.833.

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1:12.311 (medium)

2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +0.221 (medium)

3. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.253 (medium)

4. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.322 (medium)

5. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.361 (medium)

Max Verstappen is top of the timesheets but as he reaches the dusty Turn Seven, the Red Bull does not do what the three-time world champion wants it to. "Oh, I've lost the rear. I'm boxing," says Verstappen, and he heads back to base.

Over at Turn One, Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari is the latest driver to suffer a lock-up.

Martin Brundle on Sky Sports is reporting from Turn Three, Hugenholtz, and having a wonderful time watching Formula 1 cars tackle the extremely cambered corner. It really is like a rollercoaster.

George Russell, meanwhile, has found himself in a spot of bother. The Mercedes man is in the gravel after a big lock-up at Turn Eight and tells his pit wall "that was weird".

Image source, Getty Images

Max Verstappen is also celebrating a personal milestone at his home race.

The Dutchman will reach 200 races in Formula 1 when he lines up on Sunday - but does he see himself making it to another 200?

"No!" was the emphatic answer (with a smile on his face) during Thursday's press conference.

"So, we're past halfway, for sure," he joked.

With Verstappen's contract at Red Bull running until 2028, does this mean the three-time world champion could potentially wave goodbye to the sport at the end of his deal?

"In my mind, I'm not thinking about a new contract at the moment," he said. "I just want to see how it goes.

"Also, see the new regulations [for 2026 and beyond] for us, see if it's fun - or not. And even then, in 2026-27, there is a lot of time to decide what happens.

"I just keep everything open. I'm quite easy going about it."

Oscar Piastri has made his way safely back to the McLaren garage and a fresh helmet is waiting for the Australian to slip on. All sorted.

Max Verstappen, on the medium tyres, goes quickest with a 1:12.131 ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

The Dutchman is aiming to celebrate a fourth pole-plus-win a row at Zandvoort this weekend.

Logan Sargeant, George Russell and Valtteri Bottas - who sat out of first practice - are already fighting for position on track. All three drivers are on the medium tyres.

Over at McLaren, Oscar Piastri is having visor issues and tells the pit wall he needs to come back to base straight away for a helmet change.

And Mr Gasly is at the front of the queue at the end of the pit lane, bringing his Alpine out on a set of hard tyres.

Pierre is ready.

Second practice - on what looks to be a nice dry circuit - is open for business.

The wind, however, has not left Zandvoort...

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sounds

Rosanna Tennant, Harry Benjamin, Alice Powell and Andrew Benson are back with us.

Click 'listen live' at the top of this page or ask BBC Sounds to play Dutch Grand Prix practice two via most smart speakers.

Image source, F1

Ferrari reserve driver Robert Shwartzman took the wheel of Valtteri Bottas' Sauber for the opening practice session and the 24-year-old finished a respectable 16th place on the timesheets.

After a few nervy moments in the gravel at the start of FP1, Nico Hulkenberg, plus Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen, finished inside the top 10, with German Hulkenberg completing the most laps of the hour with 18.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent at Zandvoort

Image source, FIA

Lando Norris’ performance was encouraging for McLaren, who have brought their first performance upgrade to the car since the Miami Grand Prix in May.

The team say the lap-time step expected is not as big as that from the Miami parts, which leapt McLaren up to become Red Bull’s major rivals.

Red Bull also have an upgrade as they seek to re-establish themselves as F1’s pace-setters.

The unsettled conditions are expected to continue through the day at the Zandvoort track, which nestles in sand dunes on the North Sea coast.

Image source, FIA

Image source, Getty Images

The first practice session back after the summer break started out wet and windy, with drivers opting for the full wet-weather tyres and struggling in the tricky conditions.

Thankfully, a drying track as the hour progressed meant some much-needed running on the slicks was achievable; the majority of the field opting for the C3 soft compound.

McLaren's Lando Norris was quickest with a time of 1:12.322 ahead of the Red Bull of home driver Max Verstappen and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

Image source, Getty Images

Have the blustery winds at Zandvoort calmed down now? A tiny bit.

Has the sun come out to warm the crowds? They might still need a light jacket.

Second practice goes green at 15:00 BST.

Commentary is available at the top of this page by clicking the 'listen live' tab, or you can tune in via most smart speakers. Just ask BBC Sounds to play Dutch Grand Prix practice two.