McLaren’s Lando Norris laid down a strong 1:31.504s benchmark to clear the Formula 1 field in free practice at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Norris was four and a half tenths ahead of second-placed Charles Leclerc in a session that was briefly interrupted by a red flag.
“I have an issue, no power steering, car’s switched off,” Jack Doohan told Alpine with 13 minutes left in the solitary practice session in Shanghai.
At that moment, the Red Flag was waved to recover the stricken Alpine, before anyone had managed to do a Soft Tyre run before Friday’s Sprint Qualifying session.
A four-minute delay prompted an eight-minute frenzy where the majority of the remaining drivers headed back onto the Shanghai International Circuit with soft Pirelli rubber.
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With the newly resurfaced Shanghai circuit rubbering in, Norris having two cracks at a flying lap benefitted him en route to the top of the timesheet.
Behind the Briton and Ferrari’s Leclerc was McLaren’s second driver, Oscar Piastri who was six and a half tenths behind his team-mate.
Lewis Hamilton then made the order McLaren, Ferrari, McLaren, Ferrari as the seven-time champion posted the fourth fastest time with his ex-Mercedes team-mate George Russell rounding out the top five.
A late effort by Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg saw the German go sixth, ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top-10.
After Haas suffered at the back of the field in Australia, Oliver Bearman showed promise by going 11th-fastest during practice in Shanghai.
The British teenager led Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Haas team-mate Esteban Ocon with the Frenchman’s former Alpine peer Pierre Gasly going 14th.
Next up in the order was Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the Dutchman low in the order after aborting his Soft Tyre run.
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar was 17th fastest ahead of Red Bull’s Liam Lawson, with the New Zealander still acclimatising to the RB21.
That left Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine’s Doohan to complete the order.
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