Lando Norris demonstrated impressive speed, topping the practice session for McLaren at the Chinese Grand Prix prior to the Sprint Qualifying. The Sprint Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 7:30 am on Friday.
The British driver, currently leading the Drivers’ Championship after his victory in Australia, clocked a fastest lap of 1:31.504. This time positioned him nearly half a second ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc during the single practice session held for this season’s first Sprint event.
Oscar Piastri, Norris’s McLaren teammate, was also showing similar pace, aiming for a comparable lap time. However, he ran wide on the final corner, which placed him third in the standings.
Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, achieved a fourth-place finish, signaling a more positive performance for the team after their unexpected difficulties in Melbourne.
Hamilton’s time was approximately 0.7 seconds slower than Norris. Unlike the top three drivers, Hamilton did not attempt a second qualifying simulation during the session’s slightly rushed conclusion, which was due to a red flag caused by a technical issue on Jack Doohan’s Alpine car.
George Russell initially led the session on medium tires but finished fifth. He was unable to improve his time when switching to soft tires.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, ended the practice in 16th place. This was due to him aborting his single attempt at a fast lap.
Chinese GP Practice Timesheet
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:31.504 |
| 2) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.454 |
| 3) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.649 |
| 4) Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.691 |
| 5) George Russell | Mercedes | +0.873 |
| 6) Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | +1.003 |
| 7) Alex Albon | Williams | +1.183 |
| 8) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1.262 |
| 9) Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +1.370 |
| 10) Yuki Tsunoda | RB | +1.430 |
| 11) Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.463 |
| 12) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.480 |
| 13) Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.552 |
| 14) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.619 |
| 15) Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1.641 |
| 16) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +1.780 |
| 17) Isack Hadjar | RB | +1.881 |
| 18) Liam Lawson | Red Bull | +2.127 |
| 19) Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | +2.318 |
| 20) Jack Doohan | Alpine | +2.419 |
McLaren’s Strong Performance
Norris’s practice time was over two seconds faster than Verstappen’s pole position time from the previous year in China. This improvement is partly due to the newly resurfaced track at the Shanghai International Circuit.
While the new surface has increased grip for all teams, McLaren seems to have a distinct advantage.
George Russell had previously suggested that McLaren might have a greater advantage than Red Bull had during their dominant 2023 season. He speculated that McLaren could potentially win every race this season.
Although winning every race in a 24-race season seems improbable, this practice session indicates that McLaren currently holds a significant lead over teams like Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes, with whom they were closely competitive at the end of last year.
Despite the disappointment for Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes in trailing McLaren, Ferrari could find some encouragement in their apparent recovery from their Australian Grand Prix struggles.
After Melbourne, where they finished outside the podium positions, Ferrari appears to be more competitive in China. This suggests they are back in contention for top positions.
McLaren’s strong showing also dismisses any concerns that new regulations regarding rear wing flexibility would negatively impact their performance. McLaren stated they did not need to make any adjustments due to these rule changes, while Alpine and Haas confirmed they had modified their cars to comply.
