Lando Norris put an end to Charles Leclerc’s challenge with a dominant 1:31.504, the McLaren driver almost half a second up at the end of FP1 for the Chinese GP.

Although it was Mercedes’ George Russell who showed pace on the medium Pirellis, the switch to the soft tyres gave the impetus to McLaren and Ferrari with Norris coming out on top.

Lando Norris lays down his marker in FP1

Formula 1’s first Sprint weekend of the F1 2025 championship got underway on a newly-resurfaced Shanghai International Circuit with a frenzy of action as the drivers made the most of the single practice hour.

Oliver Bearman was the first driver out, followed by a queue of cars that included the two Aston Martins, both carrying a shamrock and Eddie Jordan’s name in tribute to the former F1 team boss who passed away on Thursday.

Clocking a 1:39 as the session’s opening gambit, Bearman’s time was blitzed by George Russell with a 1:35.1.

Alex Albon went flying off the circuit and through the gravel before reporting to Williams that “there’s something loose around the pedals.

Liam Lawson also had a moment, while Yuki Tsunoda stated that the track was “quite grippy” compared to last year.

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Getting a feel for the circuit, Lando Norris and Piastri traded P1, the McLaren team-mates a tenth up on Russell before Lewis Hamilton joined the race for P1 with a 1:33.2. Piastri reported his MCL39 was a “bit nervous in the high speeds”.

30 minutes into the hour-long session, Russell had hit double digits in his lap count and the front with a 1:32.3. That put him half a second up on Charles Leclerc, Hamilton was third ahead of Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen and the McLaren team-mates.

Heading out for a second run on the medium Pirellis, Verstappen had a big slide, Pierre Gasly had the “wrong” switches, Carlos Sainz reported “bouncing and oversteering” and Fernando Alonso battled the wind.

Hamilton, meanwhile, ventured back out onto the track after suspension changes to his Ferrari. His team-mate Leclerc closed the gap on Russell to three-tenths and then went spinning into the gravel.

The Ferrari niggles continued with Hamilton running wide on his way into the pits. As for his Mercedes replacement, Antonelli, he reported “blistering” on his tyres.

Jack Doohan’s session ended early as he reported an “issue, no powering steering”. He was told to get out of the car, his stoppage bringing out the red flags. The session resumed with eight minutes on the clock – everyone out on the soft Pirellis.

Russell wasn’t able to up his pace after a moment at Turn 2, opening the door to Ferrari and McLaren. Leclerc went quickest ahead of Hamilton before the Ferraris were split by Norris. The trio were separated by 0.092s.

However, in a last-gasp lap, Norris went purple on his way to 1:31.504 to beat Leclerc by 0.454s.

Verstappen was down in 16th place but didn’t complete his flying lap on the soft tyres.

Chinese Grand Prix: FP1 times

1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:31.504
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.454
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.649
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.691
5 George Russell Mercedes +0.873
6 Nico Hulkenberg Kick Sauber +1.003
7 Alexander Albon Williams +1.183
8 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +1.262
9 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +1.370
10 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls +1.430
11 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team +1.463
12 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1.480
13 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team +1.552
14 Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.619
15 Carlos Sainz Williams +1.641
16 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +1.780
17 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +1.881
18 Liam Lawson Red Bull Racing +2.127
19 Gabriel Bortoleto Kick Sauber +2.318
20 Jack Doohan Alpine +2.419

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