
Running opened on the harder two compounds of tyre, and the Mercedes duo emerged on top on the medium Pirelli rubber through the first laps around the undulating beach-side circuit in Zandvoort - George Russell moving ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Sergio Perez then found his way to the top with a 1m12.750s on his own mediums, prior to Hamilton's return to the top of the charts, as Red Bull team-mate Verstappen's opening lap was baulked by FP1 wall-botherer Nico Hulkenberg in Turn 13.