In an eventful Friday practice at the Chinese Grand Prix, Lando Norris showcased impressive speed for McLaren, outpacing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Norris clocked in a lap time 0.454 seconds faster than Leclerc, solidifying this leading position right before the single practice session concluded, ahead of the sprint qualifying scheduled for later the same day.
Not far off, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri secured the third spot on the time sheets, despite a misstep that saw him venture into the gravel at the final corner, leaving him 0.649 seconds behind Norris. Similarly, Norris had room for improvement, having drifted wide through the lengthy Turn One on his fastest lap.
Lewis Hamilton, representing Ferrari, snagged fourth place, trailing by 0.691 seconds. Following him were Mercedes’ George Russell, Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, Williams’ Alex Albon, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, rounding out the top contenders.
Interestingly, Max Verstappen had a promising lap underway that could have put him at the top, only to pull into the pits, ultimately placing him 16th in his Red Bull. The sector timings indicated he would have been roughly 0.3 to 0.4 seconds behind Norris if he had completed his lap. Nonetheless, Verstappen outran his teammate Liam Lawson, finishing 0.347 seconds faster, with Lawson in 18th place.
The freshly resurfaced Shanghai track presented challenges, prompting off-track excursions for several drivers, including Norris and Leclerc. However, the session saw no major mishaps, apart from a brief red flag incident caused when Jack Doohan’s Alpine came to a halt on track.
As the action progresses, sprint qualifying is slated to kick off at 07:30 UK time. This session will determine the starting grid for Saturday’s sprint race, which precedes the usual qualifying event setting the scene for the grand prix itself.
