Chinese GP - Free Practice

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Lenovo Chinese GP

Free Practice 1

April, 19, 2024

A track-side fire briefly interrupted the practice session of the Chinese Grand Prix

In Friday's only free practice session for the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll set the fastest lap time, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri following closely behind. Teams were adjusting to a circuit they hadn't raced on in five years.

The main topic of discussion in the paddock before the session was how the modern ground-effect cars would perform on the track and whether a surprising surface treatment that took drivers aback on Thursday would cause excessive wear on the tires.

Stroll set the fastest lap time of 1 minute, 36.302 seconds at the Shanghai International Circuit, beating Piastri by 0.327 seconds.

Red Bull's triple world champion, Max Verstappen, claimed third place, with his teammate Sergio Perez finishing fourth.

Over the weekend, the teams will experience the first sprint of the season, requiring a brief one-hour session to assess the tires and confirm if the simulator data corresponded with the actual track conditions.

When F1 last raced in Shanghai, the cars used 13-inch tires and produced downforce with aerodynamic elements on top of the car. They now utilize 18-inch Pirelli tires and a design concept focused on directing air through tunnels beneath the car to create downforce.

Although Piastri achieved the second fastest time, earlier in the session, the two McLarens seemed to struggle with turning, especially in the initial slower corners.

Finalising their setups before qualifying for Saturday's sprint, which will determine the starting order for the feature race on Sunday, proved challenging for the teams due to a short stoppage caused by a small fire near the track, resulting in a red flag.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, the Ferrari duo, finished in 13th and 14th places, outpacing the two Red Bulls at the top of the timesheets before shifting their attention to soft-tyre runs.

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, who won the last grand prix in Shanghai, received a black and white flag for going off the track and crossing the pit entry line due to a lock-up.

Hamilton and his teammate George Russell both chose to use hard tires during the session, which led to them finishing in 17th and 18th places, respectively.

Shanghai-native Zhou Guanyu, China's only Formula One driver, claimed the 11th spot, following Sauber's Valtteri Bottas who was one place ahead.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the race has not occurred since 2019.

Due to limited track usage since the last event, there are concerns that the circuit may be bumpier now, leading some drivers to question the choice of hosting a 100km sprint race in China given the uncertainties.

Reigning champion Verstappen is looking to clinch his first win in Shanghai during the upcoming race on Sunday, in order to strengthen his position at the top of the driver's championship.

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