George Russell fastest in Chinese Grand Prix FP1 as Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris crash

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George Russell set the fastest time during the Chinese Grand Prix’s only practice session, as teams prepared for Sprint Qualifying later today.

The session at the Shanghai International Circuit is particularly important for both teams and drivers as they adapt to the biggest regulation overhaul in the sport’s history.

Cooler conditions of around 12°C made it difficult to bring the tyres up to temperature early on. Franco Colapinto was the first driver caught out, spinning his Alpine at Turn 10, with replays showing a similar style of spin to the one that sent Max Verstappen out of qualifying in Australia last week.

In the opening laps, reigning world champion Lando Norris attempted to overtake Lewis Hamilton, whose Ferrari appeared to be slowing through the final corners. At the last moment Hamilton seemed to decide to hold his track position, and the two drivers made contact before heading onto the main straight.

Moments later, Hamilton spun at Turn 6, running off the track and heavily flat-spotting his tyres. Both incidents will be frustrating to Ferrari who needed the vital data from both Hamilton and Leclerc after opting to bring the new ‘macarena’ wing to the race this weekend.

Although it is still early to draw firm conclusions, Ferrari’s unique rear wing design has been tipped as a possible source of instability, which may have contributed to Hamilton’s spin. The wing is believed to take slightly longer to close than those used by rival teams, potentially making it more difficult for Hamilton and Ferrari to slow the car quickly.

After just six laps, Arvid Lindblad was forced to pull his Racing Bulls car to the side of the track on the back straight after smoke began billowing from the cockpit. The young rookie managed to limp the car through the Turn 14 hairpin and towards the run-off area, but the incident still triggered a Virtual Safety Car.

It marked an unfortunate early end to Lindblad’s practice session, with the teenager missing valuable running on the circuit, after finding himself out in the first 15 minutes. His experience of Shanghai is already limited to simulator work, as none of Formula 1’s feeder series race at the track.

At the halfway mark of the session, Australian Grand Prix winner George Russell led the timesheets, sitting two tenths of a second clear of Charles Leclerc. Mercedes’ other driver, Kimi Antonelli, completed the top three, with his former F2 teammate Ollie Bearman close behind in the Haas.

Carlos Sainz missed valuable running during the sole practice session, only getting into the cockpit with 26 minutes remaining. Williams were reportedly dealing with a data issue on his car, meaning he initially managed just a single lap before returning to the garage. The team were eventually able to resolve the problem and send him back out for some running in the final third of the session.

Colapinto’s Alpine then came to a halt in the fast lane of the pit lane, directly outside the McLaren garage. Mechanics from the team rushed out to retrieve the stricken car, but the Argentine managed to restart the A526 and return to his pit box.

One team that appeared to struggle during the session was Red Bull, with Max Verstappen finishing seventh and Isack Hadjar down in 13th with just minutes remaining. The Milton Keynes outfit seem to be trialling different set-ups with a greater focus on corner performance rather than straight-line speed, although it remains to be seen whether the approach will pay off in qualifying or the race.

Unsurprisingly, Mercedes once again dominated the session, with Russell edging out Antonelli to top the timing sheets by just a tenth of a second. Norris then leapfrogged his teammate Oscar Piastri to claim the final spot in the top three, with both Ferraris sitting just behind the McLarens.