Russell heads Mercedes 1-2 as Verstappen suffers issue in Dutch GP first

George Russell headed Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes 1-2 in opening practice for the Dutch Grand Prix, as home hero Max Verstappen ground to a halt with a suspected transmission issue.

Mercedes’ pace was a statement of intent, as Russell clocked a 1m 12.455s to finished 0.240s clear of Hamilton around the 4km Zandvoort track, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz a further tenth of a second back in third.

AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from first practice for the Dutch Grand Prix

Championship leader Verstappen, who triumphed on home soil last year, set the fastest lap on the hard tyres, but then slowed dramatically before eventually stopping the car.

The session was red flagged with 45 minutes to go, as his stricken car was removed from the track, with Verstappen, who waved to the crowd on his way back to the pits, taking no further part.

His Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez had a challenging session, including running wide at Turn 9 and narrowly avoiding the wall before rejoining. He was seventh quickest overall.

McLaren had a strong showing, with Lando Norris fourth quickest, within half a second of the quickest time, with his team mate Daniel Ricciardo around 0.1s behind in fifth.

Charles Leclerc was a quarter of a second behind Ferrari team mate Sainz in sixth, with Alpine duo Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon eighth and…