The gravel seems to be calling to the Haas this morning, as Nico Hulkenberg once again ends up in the rough stuff on a cold set of full-wet tyres.

Over at Mercedes, George Russell is getting ready to join the action at Zandvoort, which consists of himself, Hulkenberg and now the McLaren of Lando Norris.

We have our first timed lap on the board.

Charles Leclerc goes purple in all three sectors, which means absolutely nothing in these dreary conditions, to clock a 1:26.530 on the blue wets.

Robert Shwartzman is sitting in for Valtteri Bottas over at Sauber for this opening practice session but the 24-year-old might not get any meaningful running in these conditions.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and the two Williams of Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant are the next cars to have an explore on the wet-weather tyres.

Image source, FIA

In an effort to chase down title leaders Red Bull, McLaren have arrived on Dutch soil with their first upgrade since the Miami Grand Prix in May.

McLaren

Front corner, front suspension, floor edge, rear corner, rear wing, beam wing.

Williams

Floor body, diffuser, sidepod inlet, coke/engine cover, central air intake.

Haas

Front wing, nose, front suspension, front corner.

Red Bull

Coke/engine cover, halo, mirror stays.

Alpine

Front suspension, rear corner.

RB

Rear corner.

Pierre Gasly is on the blue full-wet tyres and provides an update to his Alpine pit wall. "It's pretty wild with the wind," says the Frenchman.

Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg, at low speed, heads across the gravel in the gusty conditions. The German, who was also on the wet compound, is back on the road quickly and heads back to the Haas base.

It's August. AUGUST. Where is the sun?!

The clock is ticking down but only Pierre Gasly has dared to venture in the Alpine.

For the fans sitting on the grass, exposed, it looks cold, wet and extremely windy.

Hold on to your first practice hats! The weather is grim as the light goes green.

Thumbs up if the wind also caused havoc where you live this morning.

Image source, Getty Images

Pirelli has chosen the hardest compounds in the range for the return back to work at Zandvoort. Teams can select from the C1 (white, hard), C2 (yellow, medium) and C3 (red, soft).

The banked corners of the 4.259km circuit present a tough challenge on the tyres, as the steep turns are taken at higher speeds than other tracks on the calendar.

Also, watch out if the wind picks up, as sand blowing on to the circuit from the dunes can also affect grip.

Image source, Pirelli 2024

BBC Sounds

Good morning to Rosanna Tennant, Harry Benjamin, British racing driver Alice Powell and BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson.

Just click the 'listen live' tab at the top of the page to tune in, or you can now also listen via most smart speakers. Just ask BBC Sounds to play 'Dutch Grand Prix practice one' to follow along.

The latest prediction for this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix is showing some unsettled weather for both Friday and Saturday.

First and second practice could see strong winds of up to 80kph (49.7mph), while qualifying the following day is forecast for occasional rain but a decrease in the windy conditions.

Sunday's 72-lap race should be run in the dry but temperatures will cool from 22 degrees down to around 19 degrees.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent at Zandvoort

Image source, Getty Images

Australian Jack Doohan will make his Formula 1 debut with Alpine in 2025 after being promoted from his role as reserve driver.

The 21-year-old son of five-time MotoGP champion Mick Doohan will partner Frenchman Pierre Gasly, who has raced for Alpine since 2023.

Doohan replaces Frenchman Esteban Ocon, who has moved to Haas after he and Alpine announced they would split.

Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes, who has been in his role for less than a month, said: "Jack will become the first driver to graduate from the Alpine academy into a race driver position with the team, so that is exceptionally pleasing for the team and its young driver pathway."

Doohan said it was "a proud day for my family".

He added: "I am very grateful for the trust and belief by the team's senior management. There is so much work ahead to be prepared and ready and I will give my best in the meantime to absorb as much information and knowledge to be ready for the step up."

Image source, Getty Images

Welcome back, folks. Hope you feel refreshed after our time away. It's a windy one on the shores of the North Sea.

We left off at Spa-Francorchamps with a disqualification for Belgian Grand Prix winner George Russell, an inherited 105th race victory for Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton and leaders Red Bull not among the podium celebrations.

First practice at the Dutch Grand Prix is at 11:30 BST.

Second practice gets under way at 15:00 BST.

Image source, Getty Images

Commentary on both sessions will be only-online, so you need to click the 'listen live' tab at the top of the page to tune in.

Alternatively, you can also listen via most smart speakers. Just ask BBC Sounds to play the Dutch Grand Prix followed by "practice one" for the first session, and then "practice two" for the second session this afternoon.

The hunt for a seat on the 2025 grid just became a little bit harder for the current drivers still searching for employment next season...

Image source, Getty Images

After three weeks of sun, sea and jet-skiing, Formula 1 returns from its holiday to refocus on the final 10 races of the season.

Monza, Baku and Singapore are to come in September, before it's full steam ahead with Austin, Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi to close out the campaign.

But first, let's soak up the last rays of summer (it's raining) among the orange army at Zandvoort...