F1 Academy Zandvoort Free Practice: Gademan leads disrupted session

Nina Gademan set the pace in F1 Academy's sole Free Practice session at Zandvoort, leading Rafaela Ferreira and Alba Larsen in a disrupted 40 minutes of running that featured two red flags and a brief spell of rain.

Running started relatively slowly, with several drivers remaining in the pits during the opening minutes. Ella Lloyd initially established the benchmark before championship contender Emma Felbermayr moved to the top with a 1:39.622 as the track began to improve.

Larsen was the first of the leading contenders to make a significant step, setting a 1:38.858 to go quickest. However, her lap was immediately followed by the first red flag of the session after Ava Dobson crashed, interrupting the drivers' preparations during their only practice session of the weekend.

A light drizzle arrived while the session was suspended, adding further uncertainty when the cars returned to the circuit. Conditions remained suitable for slick tyres, and the times soon began to fall again.

Ferreira moved ahead of Larsen before Gademan delivered the decisive lap with around six minutes remaining, stopping the clock at 1:38.729 in front of her home crowd.

There would be no final opportunity for her rivals to respond. Jade Jacquet spun after clipping the gravel on the exit of Turn 3, triggering a second red flag that brought the session to an early conclusion.

Behind the leading trio, Ella Lloyd finished fourth, just 0.235s away from Gademan, with Natalia Granada fifth and Felbermayr sixth. Lisa Billard, Rachel Robertson and Mathilda Paatz followed in seventh through ninth.

Championship leader Alisha Palmowski endured a more difficult session, completing only six laps and finishing P10, 0.587s away from the fastest time. Palmowski had spent part of the opening phase in the pits and was unable to fully recover the lost running because of the two stoppages.

Zandvoort Wild Card Zoe Florescu finished 11th, just 0.067s behind Palmowski, while home driver Esmee Kosterman took 12th.

F1 Academy Zandvoort Free Practice top 10

1. Nina Gademan -- 1:38.729
2. Rafaela Ferreira -- +0.111
3. Alba Larsen -- +0.129
4. Ella Lloyd -- +0.235
5. Natalia Granada -- +0.256
6. Emma Felbermayr -- +0.324
7. Lisa Billard -- +0.363
8. Rachel Robertson -- +0.375
9. Mathilda Paatz -- +0.483
10. Alisha Palmowski -- +0.587

The field will return to action on Saturday at 09:20 local time for Qualifying, which will determine the Feature Race grid and set the top-eight reversal for the afternoon's Reverse Grid Race.