The return of Formula 1 to the Shanghai International Circuit after a five-year hiatus commenced with Free Practice 1 for the Chinese Grand Prix.
The session kicked off with Kevin Magnussen in the Haas, posting the initial benchmark of 1:41.422 on medium compound tyres. Home crowd favourite, Zhou Guanyu was somewhat more tentative in his early laps, clocking a 1:42.487.
Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, quickly asserted his pace with a 1:39.497, outpacing his nearest rival, Pierre Gasly, by over a second.
Early into the session, drivers faced difficulties adjusting to the circuit’s demanding conditions—Lewis Hamilton experienced a snap of oversteer at the lengthy turn 1, and Sergio Perez missed his braking point at turn 11, going deep into the corner.
Ten minutes into the session, Verstappen led the timings followed closely by his teammate Perez, with Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon leading their respective tyre strategies on hards and softs.
The session was momentarily red-flagged when a small grass fire broke out on the inside of turn 7, causing a three-minute pause in proceedings.
After the restart, Nico Hülkenberg set an impressive time to be within 0.382 seconds of Verstappen, who had improved his time to 1:38.498.
As drivers resumed their runs, traffic became an issue, notably affecting Lewis Hamilton who, in trying to avoid a tangle with Hülkenberg and Piastri, ended up locking up and taking to the pit lane, receiving a warning for crossing the pit entry line.
Mid-session saw Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc briefly take the top spot with a lap of 1:38.130 on soft tyres, indicating strong single-lap speed, albeit briefly before the grid geared up for qualifying simulations.
The track action intensified in the last 15 minutes of the session as drivers embarked on their qualifying runs. Alex Albon of Williams surprisingly topped the time sheets with a 1:37.229, marking his best sectors across the board.
However, Sergio Perez quickly responded, and despite a significant lock-up at turn 6, managed to edge past Albon by just under a tenth. Max Verstappen set a session-best of 1:36.660, showcasing his pace.
In conclusion to FP1, Oscar Piastri claimed the top spot with a 1:36.629, narrowly outperforming Verstappen.
However, it was Lance Stroll who ultimately topped the session. His lap of 1:36.302, featuring a strong middle sector, placed him 0.327 seconds ahead of Piastri, highlighting his competitive form.
The session ended with Verstappen, Perez, Hülkenberg, and Magnussen in the top ten. Other drivers also adapted well to the circuit conditions as they prepared for qualifying. Notably, the Mercedes drivers and Fernando Alonso did not use soft tyres.
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s drivers recorded their fastest laps early using just one set of softs. This suggests varying strategies for the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.
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— Formula 1 (@F1) April 19, 2024
Stroll tops the only practice session of the weekend 👏
Next up 👉 #F1Sprint qualifying #F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/dvUe0oCg0s
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