Lando Norris set the fastest time during the sole free practice session of the Chinese Grand Prix this Friday, with a lap time of 1:31.504 on soft tires. The McLaren driver, winner of the last Australian Grand Prix, was ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari by 0.454 seconds and his teammate Oscar Piastri, who completes the virtual podium for this session.
McLaren in shape
On the Shanghai circuit, Lando Norris first recorded a time of 1:33.362 on medium tires before significantly improving his performance when switching to soft tires. Despite a lull in one sector and going wide in another during his initial runs, the Briton eventually found the ideal rhythm towards the end of the session.
Oscar Piastri, who experienced disappointment in Australia by going wide at turn 12 with 13 laps to go when he was in a good position, reported that his McLaren was nervous in the fast corners. Despite this comment, the Australian managed to place his car in third place in the standings.
Mercedes and Ferrari in the game
George Russell dominated a large part of the session on medium tires with a time of 1:32.377, initially relegating Charles Leclerc to 0.500 seconds behind. However, the Mercedes driver was unable to improve his time during his run on soft tires, ultimately finishing fourth. Lewis Hamilton posted a time close to that of his teammate Leclerc on soft tires, placing fifth. As for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, driving the second Mercedes, he finished in the top 10.
Difficulties for Red Bull
Max Verstappen, the reigning champion, only appears in 16th position in the final standings after abandoning his attempt on soft tires. The Dutchman had posted good times in the first two sectors. His teammate, Liam Lawson, in the other Red Bull, did not do any better, finishing 17th after already experiencing a gravel trap incident at the beginning of the session.
Incidents and Red Flag
The session was interrupted by a red flag 12 minutes from the end when Jack Doohan stopped his Alpine in a runoff area of the second sector. The Australian driver reported a power steering issue before his car came to a halt.
Charles Leclerc also experienced an incident, spinning at turn 2 and bringing gravel onto the track before heading to the pits to check the floor and the condition of his tires.
Alex Albon, in the Williams, also took a detour into the gravel at the beginning of the session, reporting something loose around the pedals.
