Lewis Hamilton and his Formula One rivals were buzzing on Friday as the sport returned to the Zandvoort circuit for the first Dutch Grand Prix in 36 years.

"Oh man, the track is epic," said Mercedes' seven-time world champion, who last raced at the seaside circuit in his Formula Three days.

"It's really fantastic. It brought back so many memories when I first got out there. I knew it was great when I was in Formula Three, but it's crazy in a Formula One car," he said.

"It's a real racing circuit. I don't think we'll be able to overtake here, because it's just high downforce super-fast corners which you probably won't be able to follow through, but let's hope."

Hamilton was fastest in a truncated first practice session, with limited running due to a 35-minute red flag period, and his car then broke down in the second when the two Ferraris were quickest.

A maximum of 70,000 fans have been allowed into the stadium, with organizers saying they could have sold a million tickets to see Red Bull's Max Verstappen racing at home for the first time.

Meanwhile, Kimi Raikkonen said on Thursday Formula One had never been the most important thing in his life and he would walk away with no regrets, no complaints and no particular plan for the future.

"I had fun and I did it my way," the 41-year-old Finn, who won the 2007 title and has started more races than any driver, told reporters at Zandvoort.

"I wouldn't change a single thing even if I could."

Raikkonen, who announced on September 1 that he would retire at the end of the season, remains the last driver to win the championship for Ferrari and, now with Alfa Romeo, will be making his 342nd start on Sunday.