Russell Leads the Way in Only Practice Session Ahead of China Sprint Weekend

Amy Yates
2 hours ago
6 min read

The opening and only practice session of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend delivered exactly the kind of frenetic energy expected when Formula 1 returns to the Sprint format. With just 60 minutes of track time before Sprint Qualifying, teams were forced to compress what is normally several sessions’ worth of preparation into a single, high-pressure hour.

At the end of that intense window, George Russell emerged on top of the timesheets for Mercedes, leading a one-two for the Silver Arrows ahead of rookie team mate Kimi Antonelli. McLaren’s Lando Norris completed the top three in a session that offered a fascinating early glimpse into the competitive order at the Shanghai International Circuit.

But the headline times only told part of the story. From traffic chaos and spins to Virtual Safety Cars and strategic tyre runs, the session unfolded more like a condensed race weekend than a simple practice.

Russell Sets the Benchmark

Russell’s fastest lap of 1:32.741 arrived in the final minutes of the session as teams began switching to the soft compound tyres, the fastest rubber available for the weekend.

Up to that point, most teams had focused their running on the medium compound, prioritising long-run balance and data collection over outright pace. That meant the leaderboard only truly came alive in the final quarter of the session.

The Mercedes W16 looked immediately comfortable through Shanghai’s demanding layout, particularly in the long-radius corners that dominate the circuit. Russell’s lap stood out for its smoothness through the Turn 1–2 spiral complex, where maintaining front-end grip while managing tyre temperatures is notoriously difficult.

His first major benchmark came with a 1:32.807, already placing him clear of the field. Moments later he shaved off further time, lowering the mark to 1:32.741 and securing top spot.

Behind him, Kimi Antonelli delivered an impressive lap to secure second place, finishing just 0.120 seconds behind his more experienced team mate. The Italian rookie looked composed throughout the session, suggesting Mercedes’ decision to promote him has already begun paying dividends.

McLaren also showed promising pace, with Lando Norris climbing to third in the closing stages, narrowly ahead of team mate Oscar Piastri. Both drivers appeared particularly strong in the final sector, where traction and efficient deployment of electrical energy are crucial.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top six, though both drivers spent parts of the session managing traffic and experimenting with setup changes rather than chasing outright lap times.

Early Session Chaos

If the closing minutes were about performance runs, the opening half of the session was defined by pure survival.

When the pit lane light turned green at 11:30 local time, drivers poured onto the track almost simultaneously. With only one practice session available, teams were desperate to complete installation laps, aerodynamic sweeps, and early balance checks before the clock ran down.

The result was immediate congestion around the circuit.

One of the first incidents came when Franco Colapinto spun his Alpine at Turn 9, losing the rear of the car while exiting the medium-speed corner. While he avoided contact with the barriers, the moment served as an early warning of how tricky the Shanghai circuit can be when tyres are still coming up to temperature.

Moments later, the tension escalated as Lando Norris attempted an ambitious move on Lewis Hamilton. The McLaren driver dived alongside the Ferrari approaching a braking zone, and the pair made light contact as they ran wheel-to-wheel.

The stewards quickly noted the incident but concluded that it required no further investigation, deeming it a typical racing moment during a crowded practice session.

Hamilton would later have a scare of his own, spinning off the track at Turn 6 after briefly losing rear stability on corner entry. While he managed to keep the car out of the barriers, the incident highlighted the fine margins drivers were operating within.

Debris from the earlier contact eventually triggered a Virtual Safety Car, temporarily slowing the session as marshals cleared the track.

Traffic Troubles and Rookie Setbacks

Traffic was arguably the defining feature of the session, and several drivers voiced their frustration over the team radio.

The Shanghai circuit, while wide in places, becomes particularly narrow in the flowing sections of the second sector. With nearly the entire grid on track simultaneously, drivers frequently found themselves navigating clusters of slower cars during their flying laps.

No one expressed that frustration more clearly than Isack Hadjar, the Red Bull rookie, who described the traffic conditions as “unbearable” during a radio exchange with his team.

For younger drivers trying to maximise valuable track time, the congestion proved especially costly.

That reality hit Arvid Lindblad particularly hard. The Racing Bulls rookie brought out yellow flags when he pulled off the circuit at Turn 14, forcing another Virtual Safety Car period while his car was recovered.

The stoppage effectively ended his session, with the team later confirming that he would not return to the track, depriving him of vital preparation during his first Sprint weekend in Formula 1.

Meanwhile, over at Williams, Carlos Sainz endured a frustrating session of his own. The Spaniard completed just a single early lap before returning to the garage as engineers investigated what appeared to be a data system issue.

He eventually returned to the circuit with roughly 20 minutes remaining, but by that point the session had already progressed into the soft-tyre phase, limiting the team’s ability to run their planned programmes.

Soft Tyres Shake Up the Order

The complexion of the session shifted dramatically once teams began fitting the soft tyres.

Up until that point, the timesheets had been dominated by medium-tyre runs designed to simulate longer stints and assess car balance with heavier fuel loads.

But as the final 20 minutes approached, the garage doors opened and the bright red-striped soft tyres began appearing across the grid.

Russell was among the first to capitalise, immediately lowering the benchmark with his 1:32.807 lap. The improvement was expected — the softer compound offers significantly more grip — but the scale of the advantage suggested Mercedes had found an excellent balance in Shanghai’s demanding corners.

Antonelli soon followed, jumping to second place and confirming the strength of the Mercedes package.

The McLarens also surged up the leaderboard during this phase, with Piastri and Norris both improving significantly. Their strong sector times suggested the MCL car was particularly efficient through the circuit’s long-radius corners.

Meanwhile, Ferrari continued experimenting with different run plans, with Hamilton briefly climbing into the top three before slipping back as others improved.

Another brief disruption occurred when Colapinto stopped in the pit lane, prompting yellow flags before the Alpine mechanics assisted him back into motion.

Standout Performances Across the Grid

Beyond the headline battle at the front, several drivers delivered noteworthy performances.

Perhaps the most eye-catching came from Haas rookie Ollie Bearman, who placed an impressive seventh, finishing ahead of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. Bearman’s lap demonstrated strong one-lap pace from the Haas package, particularly in the technical second sector.

Verstappen finished eighth, though the reigning champion spent much of the session focused on setup work rather than chasing peak performance.

Further down the order, Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg secured ninth place, while Pierre Gasly completed the top ten for Alpine.

Williams endured a challenging hour, with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz finishing 16th and 17th respectively after their disrupted running programme.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll used the session primarily to gather long-run data, finishing near the back of the field but completing several useful laps.

FP1 Classification - Top 10

George Russell – Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes (+0.120)
Lando Norris – McLaren
Oscar Piastri – McLaren
Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
Ollie Bearman – Haas
Max Verstappen – Red Bull
Nico Hulkenberg – Audi
Pierre Gasly – Alpine

Eyes Turn to Sprint Qualifying

With the only practice session now complete, teams face an intense turnaround before the next competitive session.

The Sprint format removes much of the usual margin for error. Engineers now have just a short window to analyse the data gathered during the hectic hour of running before Sprint Qualifying begins at 15:30 local time.

Mercedes will head into that session with clear momentum after their one-two in practice, but the picture behind them remains tightly packed.

McLaren looked competitive, Ferrari showed flashes of speed despite their incidents, and Red Bull’s true pace remains something of an unknown.

If the chaos and close competition of FP1 are any indication, the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint weekend could deliver one of the most unpredictable battles of the season so far.