Lando Norris edged Charles Leclerc to claim the fastest time in the sole Friday practice for the 2025 F1 Chinese Grand Prix.
The British driver fresh off his victory in the Australian Grand Prix set the fastest lap with a time of 1:31.504, establishing himself as the favorite for the upcoming Sprint Qualifying session.
Held at the newly resurfaced Shanghai International Circuit, the Chinese Grand Prix weekend marks the first Sprint format event of the 2025 F1 season, adding extra pressure on teams to maximize their single practice session.
Lando Norris’s pace was unmatched throughout FP1 as he finished nearly half a second ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who secured the second-fastest time.
Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri rounded out the top three with an impressive lap just 0.649 seconds off his teammate’s benchmark. The strong showing from both McLaren drivers underscores the team’s excellent start to the season and their ability to adapt quickly to varying circuit conditions.
The opening practice for 2025 Chinese Grand Prix began under clear skies at 11:30 AM local time, with Haas rookie Ollie Bearman leading a queue of cars onto the track.
Drivers predominantly opted for medium tires in the initial runs as they worked to familiarize themselves with the circuit’s updated surface and extended DRS zone into Turn 14.
However, it wasn’t long before incidents began to unfold. Red Bull’s Liam Lawson and Williams’ Alex Albon both had early excursions into the gravel with Albon later reporting an issue with something “loose” near his car’s pedals.
Behind the top three, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’ George Russell completed the top five. Hamilton clocked a time of 1:32.195, just 0.691 seconds off Norris’s leading pace, while Russell trailed slightly further behind at 0.873 seconds off the top spot.
Both drivers demonstrated solid race pace but will likely need to find additional performance if they are to challenge McLaren and Ferrari in qualifying and race conditions.
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Meanwhile Nico Hülkenberg continued his strong form for Sauber by securing sixth place with a lap time of 1:32.507, just over a second behind Norris. Williams’ Alex Albon followed in seventh despite his earlier issues, showing promising pace for a team looking to rebound from a challenging start to the season.
Fernando Alonso placed eighth for Aston Martin with a time of 1:32.766, while Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli impressed by finishing ninth in only his second Formula 1 weekend.
Rounding out the top ten in 2025 Chinese Grand Prix FP1 was Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda, delivering a steady performance amidst fierce midfield competition.
Haas driver Ollie Bearman narrowly missed out on a top-ten finish but showed encouraging signs of improvement after a difficult debut in Melbourne last week.
Further down the order, Lance Stroll took twelfth for Aston Martin ahead of Haas’s Esteban Ocon and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Carlos Sainz struggled for pace in his Williams but managed fifteenth place ahead of reigning world champion Max Verstappen in sixteenth—a surprising result for Red Bull given their usual dominance in recent years.
Verstappen’s teammate Liam Lawson fared even worse, ending up eighteenth after his earlier trip into the gravel.
Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine’s Jack Doohan occupied the final two spots on the timesheets. Both drivers struggled to find rhythm on Shanghai’s demanding layout, leaving their teams with significant work to do ahead of Sprint Qualifying.
The opening practice for the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix also highlighted some key technical challenges faced by teams as they adjusted to Shanghai’s resurfaced track and extended DRS zone.
The new surface provided improved grip levels but also demanded precise tire management due to higher degradation rates observed during long runs.
Pirelli brought their C2 (hard), C3 (medium), and C4 (soft) compounds for this weekend, offering teams flexibility in strategy as they prepare for both Sprint Qualifying and Sunday’s main race.
2025 Chinese Grand Prix FP1 Results
