Lando Norris set the fastest lap in the sole practice session on Friday ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, while rookie Alpine driver Jack Doohan triggered a red flag after losing power midway through the lap.
Norris clocked a 1:31.504 on soft tires at the Shanghai International Circuit, finishing 0.454 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Several drivers complained about front tire graining as they navigated the circuit’s long, sweeping corners.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri secured third place, trailing his teammate by just over six-tenths of a second. However, he ran off track on his fastest lap, raising concerns ahead of Friday’s qualifying session for Saturday’s sprint race.
Seven-time world champion and six-time Chinese Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton secured fourth place, ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell, who had topped the timesheets for most of the session before switching to soft tires following Doohan’s red-flag incident.
Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg finished sixth, continuing his strong form after an unexpected seventh-place finish in Melbourne last Sunday. He ended the session more than a second off the pace but reinforced his team’s mid-table standing.
Mercedes junior driver Kimi Antonelli, struggling with front-left tire degradation, finished ninth, less than half a second behind Russell.
The Shanghai circuit has been resurfaced in preparation for the race, but its long, high-load corners—especially Turns 1, 12, and 13—are proving tough on tires.
Doohan’s Alpine came to a halt 13 minutes before the session ended after he lost power at Turn 9, stopping between Turns 10 and 11. The red flag delayed proceedings, but the session resumed with seven minutes remaining, allowing most drivers to switch to soft tires for a final flying lap.
Both Ferrari drivers pushed hard and occasionally exceeded track limits, while communication issues with his new team continued to frustrate Hamilton. “I just got two different messages,” the 40-year-old Briton said over team radio midway through the session.
