F1 Chinese GP live commentary and updates - free practice
All of the updates from the Chinese GP's sole free practice session
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Summary
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That's your lot from free practice - we'll be back a bit later for sprint qualifying! Thanks for joining us!
Two things really stood out at Turns 2/3 from that mini- qualifying shootout at the end of practice. Hamilton was understeering compared to Leclerc through Turn 2, while Verstappen was on the power earlier and rotating smoothly conspired to Lawson’s multiple steering adjustments through Turn 3.
Photo by: Alex Kalinauckas
Piastri can't make the most of a good run and pops up in third after going wide at the final corner. Nico Hulkenberg, meanwhile, ends up sixth at the close of the session.
"Opportunity at Turn 8" Norris is told by engineer Will Joseph - the use of "opportunity" being a distinct Stella-ism for "a mistake was made here, but we don't want to blame anyone". It seems to work, as Norris does a 1m31.504s to go quickest at the end.
Verstappen was tracking at a good time, but abandoned his lap at the last moment. Ollie Bearman, meanwhile, found his way into the top 10 as Haas hopes to recover from a shaky start to 2025.
It's a 1m32.103s for Leclerc - Norris is about 0.06s slower than the Monegasque right now as he separated the Ferraris. Russell didn't improve.
We've got most of our runners on softs, so expect the timing screen to light up in purple and green. Five minutes left.
The session resumes once more, with nine minutes on the clock. Last orders very popular as the cars all queue up in the pitlane.
Doohan was driving through Turn 9 when his Alpine decided it didn't fancy Doohan much over the rest of the session and shut down.
Doohan comes to a stop in sector 2. "I have an issue, no power steering, the car has switched off. Let me know your instructions," he says - each sentence so RIFE with information.
Leclerc spins at Turn 2 - the wind has just picked up and that’s the point it becomes a tricky crosswind for the ground-effect designs.
Photo by: Alex Kalinauckas
Leclerc has a spin at Turn 2, but he gets the car facing the right way. The car was squirming through the long opening corner, before eventually snapping at the rear.
The notion of longer runs hasn't stopped Leclerc from posting a 1m32.701s to get closer to Russell in the timing screens. Piastri splits the Ferraris and goes P3.
Norris has a bit of a wide at Turn 1, no doubt exploring his line from the opening lap of last year's sprint. Everyone's currently doing some longer runs at this stage of the session.
Top 10 as it stands...
After the opening 20 minutes, our top 10 order is: Russell, Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Verstappen, Piastri, Norris, Sainz, Tsunoda, Albon.
Leclerc posts a 1m32.877s to go fastest, but Russell then finds another half-second on the Ferrari to grab a 1m32.377s.
Proper gravel down at Turn 16, which should curb the dreaded track limits offences. Amazing how something physical can be that much of a deterrent, as the drivers are very cautious not to run too wide...
Lewis Hamilton does a 1m33.224s to sit top, but his old team-mate George Russell punches in a 1m33.017s to raise the bar further. The new track surface is only getting better as the track grips up.
Oscar Piastri now posts a 1m33.336s to go fastest for now, and the pace is continuing to escalate. The McLaren is "a bit nervous in the high speed," according to the Australian.
The aftermath of Lawson’s immediate Turn 3 off - he arrived much faster than Verstappen by comparison and the result was an awkward trip through the gravel. He adjusted on his next push lap.
Photo by: Alex Kalinauckas
The new track surface is helping make up the early laptime; Max Verstappen gets into the 1m33s - but Lando Norris finds a 1m33.362s already. That's better than the Dutchman's pole lap from 2024...
Liam Lawson has a gravel-based excursion at Turn 4. His Red Bull is sporting the same spec that Verstappen had in Melbourne.
First times are in; Yuki Tsunoda briefly goes top with a 1m36.582s, but with continued shuffling, George Russell is currently sitting on a 1m35.184s - all on mediums thus far.
Free practice is go - just one hour of practice all weekend! Ollie Bearman is first onto the track.
Stricter wing flex tests this weekend
The FIA has tightened up its rear wing flex tests even further this weekend; McLaren reckons its rear wing(s) are fine, while Alpine admits it needed to make changes to its own design for China.
Good morning everyone, and welcome to our live coverage of the Chinese Grand Prix - we kick off with free practice, which begins in just under 20 minutes' time!
By: Autosport Staff
