McLaren's Lando Norris tops FP1 for the F1 Dutch Grand Prix

Norris, who trails Max Verstappen in the standings by 78 points heading into the concluding 10 rounds, saw off Verstappen by two tenths.

Lewis Hamilton took third spot, one place ahead of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz with Mercedes' George Russell fifth.

Following a four-week break, the Formula One season is back up and running, here at the seaside town of Zandvoort, 23 miles outside of Amsterdam.

However, wind speeds approaching 45mph, spatted with light rain, contributed to limited running in the opening half of the one-hour session.

Pierre Gasly described the weather as wild, with Haas' Nico Hulkenberg running off the road on numerous occasions as he braved the testing conditions.

But as the session wore on, the sun broke through and the track dried up, allowing for a number of quick runs in the closing moments.

And it was Norris, hoping to get his stuttering championship challenge back on track, who produced the quickest time in his upgraded McLaren.

Verstappen, without a win in his last four appearances, the first time that has happened since 2020, has dominated at his home race since its return to the calendar in 2021, winning all three editions from pole position.

But the evidence of the first running indicates that the Red Bull driver, who spun at the chicane before recovering back to the pits, might not have it all his own way with Norris showcasing McLaren's pace.

Hamilton, who has won two of the last three races for his rejuvenated Mercedes team, finished nearly seven tenths back.

The weather is expected to continue to improve for the second session which gets under way at 16h00 local time (15h00 BST).

FP1 times for the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix:

1 Lando Norris, McLaren 1:12.322
2 Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing +0.201
3 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes +0.684
4 Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +0.752
5 George Russell, Mercedes +0.820
6 Alexander Albon, Williams +0.837
7 Oscar Piastri, McLaren +0.908
8 Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team +1.241
9 Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team +1.275
10 Guanyu Zhou, Kick Sauber +1.643
11 Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +1.829
12 Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +1.957
13 Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +1.984
14 Yuki Tsunoda, RB +2.096
15 Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +2.145
16 Robert Shwartzman, Kick Sauber +2.336
17 Logan Sargeant, Williams +3.283
18 Esteban Ocon, Alpine +3.474
19 Daniel Ricciardo, RB +3.909
20 Pierre Gasly, Alpine +9.714