The first and only practice session of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend opened with speed, contact, and two interruptions at the Shanghai International Circuit on Friday. George Russell led the session for Mercedes with a lap of 1:32.741.
His teammate Kimi Antonelli followed close behind in second, sealing a strong one-two for the team. The early pace and the large gap to the rest of the field signalled that Mercedes may again be the benchmark this weekend.
As it happened in the Chinese GP FP1
Russell set the fastest time late in the session, finishing 0.120 seconds ahead of Antonelli. The nearest non-Mercedes car ended the session 0.555 seconds slower.
Antonelli posted his best lap on only his second push run with soft tyres. That suggests the rookie may still have more pace to unlock later in the weekend.
Drama arrived early in the session. Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris made contact at the final corner while fighting for track position.
Marshals briefly deployed the Virtual Safety Car as they cleared debris from the circuit. The FIA later noted Hamilton for causing the collision.
Hamilton’s problems did not end there. He spun at Turn 6 shortly after the incident when his rear tyres locked under braking. The spin left flat spots on his medium tyres and forced Ferrari to switch him to soft tyres earlier than planned, disrupting his programme.
Ferrari also drew attention in Shanghai for a different reason. The team debuted a new rear wing design nicknamed the “flip-flop” or “macarena” wing.
According to former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer on F1 TV, the system could boost top speed but requires drivers to manually deactivate it earlier when braking. Ferrari used Friday’s practice to study the system, with Charles Leclerc finishing fifth and Hamilton sixth.
The second interruption of the session came from Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad. Smoke appeared from his car before he stopped at the end of the long back straight. Racing Bulls confirmed the issue was likely mechanical, ending the Brit’s session after only six laps.
The timing was painful for Lindblad. Junior series like Formula 2 and Formula 3 rarely race in Shanghai. That means Friday’s laps were crucial for learning the circuit before Sprint Qualifying.
Behind the two Mercedes cars, Norris finished third for McLaren, roughly half a second off Russell’s time. Oscar Piastri showed promising speed but aborted a fast lap after a mistake in the middle sector and settled for fourth. Leclerc completed the top five.
Red Bull faced a more difficult start to the weekend. Max Verstappen finished eighth, more than 1.8 seconds slower than Russell’s benchmark. Rookie teammate Isack Hadjar ended the session 13th and struggled to find pace during push laps.
Oliver Bearman continued his strong form from Melbourne. The Haas driver finished seventh, ahead of the four-time world champion. His session ended with a spin after he appeared distracted by an Aston Martin in his mirrors, causing him to miss his braking point.
Nico Hulkenberg delivered a solid run for Audi and finished ninth at a circuit where he has often performed well. Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten for Alpine.
Williams also faced setbacks. Carlos Sainz spent much of the session in the garage with a reported data issue. He returned late and managed 18 laps, but the lost track time could hurt him on a Sprint weekend.
The busy practice session set a tense tone for the rest of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, where teams now head directly into Sprint Qualifying with limited data and little margin for error.
Full FP1 results: 2026 Chinese Grand Prix
| Pos | Driver | Team | Lap Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:32.741 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:32.861 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:33.296 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:33.472 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:33.599 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:34.129 |
| 7 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:34.426 |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:34.541 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:34.639 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:34.676 |
| 11 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:34.773 |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:34.828 |
| 13 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:34.856 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:34.877 |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:34.947 |
| 16 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:35.480 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:35.679 |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:35.856 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:36.057 |
| 20 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:37.224 |
| 21 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:37.896 |
| 22 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:39.200 |
2026 Chinese Grand Prix weekend schedule (local Shanghai time, CST)
| Session | Day | Local Time (CST) |
|---|---|---|
| Free Practice 1 | Friday, March 13 | 11:30–12:30 |
| Sprint Qualifying | Friday, March 13 | 15:30–16:14 |
| F1 Sprint | Saturday, March 14 | 11:00–12:00 |
| Qualifying | Saturday, March 14 | 15:00–16:00 |
| Chinese Grand Prix | Sunday, March 15 | 15:00 |
Teams now move straight into Sprint Qualifying with just one hour of running behind them, leaving little time to correct mistakes or unlock hidden pace. In a Sprint weekend where every practice lap counts, the drama of Friday morning suggests many drivers might be up for a difficult weekend.
