2024 F1 Dutch Grand Prix - Friday Practice as it happened

Several drivers, including the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Mercedes' George Russell, head out on soft tyres! That's brave, with the track still rather slippery in places. 

An eye catching lap from Ferrari reserve Robert Shwartzman - driving Valtteri Bottas's Sauber - lifts him up to third and within half a second of Norris's current session-topping time.

Lando Norris pips George Russell's best time by 0.052s with a 1m20.392s in his upgraded McLaren. 

Meanwhile, Alpine's Pierre Gasly runs wide at Turn 1 and goes through the gravel. 

Max Verstappen doesn't stay fastest for long, as George Russell usurps his time to put his Mercedes top of the timesheets. 

The track is starting to dry out with the sun creeping out and conditions improving. So expect times to tumble further in the final 20 minutes of the session.

The new benchmark to beat is a 1m20.444s. That puts Russell eight-tenths clear of Verstappen. 

On his first lap, Max Verstappen spins his Red Bull after clipping the kerb at the exit of Turn 11. 

He recovers with an impressive pirouette and continues on his way. 

Then on his next lap, the Dutchman goes fastest on a 1m21.300s.

Charles Leclerc is the first driver to complete a lap time in FP1, setting back-to-back efforts.

The Ferrari driver's quickest lap is a 1m26.111s on full wet tyres. It's taken nearly 20 minutes to get a lap time on the board.

Meanwhile, Hulkenberg has had a second visit to the gravel traps, but once again is able to get back on track without too much drama. 

Not a huge amount to report during these early stages of FP1 - aside from Hulkenberg's little off.

It's been a slow start to Friday's track action, with no times on the board as yet and only nine drivers venturing out to get a feel for the conditions. 

Nico Hulkenberg has just locked up and taken a trip through the gravel at Turn 9. 

He looks to have avoided picking up any damage to his Haas and continues on his way.  

It's very wet out there, with all the drivers currently running the full wet Pirellis. 

McLaren headline the updates brought to Zandvoort, with the British squad introducing six key changes to their F1 car for this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix. 

Lando Norris said on Thursday he was hopeful that McLaren's first proper update since Miami would give the team added performance. 

Read all the details about their upgrade package here. 

We have a green light at the end of the pitlane and opening practice at Zandvoort is go. 

After a near four-week break, F1 is officially back! 

All eyes are on the weather as opening practice looms ever closer. 

It has been wet and incredibly windy at Zandvoort so far today, and a weather warning has been put in place for the local province. 

Winds of 80km/h have been forecast throughout the day and McLaren's Lando Norris admitted on Thursday that the conditions could be "dangerous" during FP1 and FP2. 

The big news this morning was Alpine's announcement that Australian Jack Doohan will step up to make his F1 debut with the team in 2025.

After a couple of years on the sidelines as Alpine's reserve, Doohan earns a full-time seat for next season alongside Pierre Gasly.

The 21-year-old son of five-time MotoGP champion Mick Doohan has been named as Haas-bound Esteban Ocon's replacement on an initial one-year deal.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Friday practice for the Dutch Grand Prix. 

We have two hour-long practice sessions coming up on Friday from a wet and windy Zandvoort, with the first taking place at 11:30am UK time.