Stroll starts strong on fiery return to Shanghai

For the first time since 2019, Formula 1 was finally back on track in China, with Lance Stroll fighting the cobwebs to finish a messy, fire-interrupted practice session ahead of Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen.

Free Practice 1 may have been the most important session of the entire Chinese Grand Prix weekend, with the Sprint format leaving drivers with just one hour to acquaint themselves with the  circuit before the competition heats up, avoiding fire in FP1.

With that in mind, instantly heading out onto the Shanghai International Circuit to maximise the hour was the obvious choice for the teams.

Bringing their first implementation of upgrades in China, the Haas duo led the charge out of the pit lane followed closely by the highly-anticipated home hero Zhou Guanyu.

Zhou competes in his home Grand Prix as the first-ever Chinese Formula 1 driver, hoping to score Sauber’s first points of the season in Shanghai.

The Sauber driver reported that, although the track had been resurfaced recently, grip levels were not too bad on the medium tyre.

It was a messy bout of first flying laps with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez, both drivers who frequented the Shanghai International Circuit back in the day, being tested over the bumps at Turn 1 and in the revised braking zones. 

At the ten-minute mark, the top two fastest times were occupied by the Red Bull duo.

Max Verstappen did, of course, hold the opening benchmark time of a 1:39.110s, less than five hundredths ahead of Perez.

At the same time, the Scuderia Ferrari duo finally joined the rest of the grid out on track, coming straight out on the soft compound tyre.

The Aston Martin drivers looked confident off the bat, seeing Fernando Alonso flowing through the familiar 16 corners with ease before the session came to a halt. 

In a bizarre turn of events, a small fire started on the grass at Turn 7, costing the drivers five minutes of running under a Red Flag. 

Marshals wave the red flag after a small trackside fire in FP1 at the Chinese GP. Image: Mark Sutton / Sutton Images.

The track marshals took care of the fire quickly, with the cause remaining unclear as the field headed back out on track.

The final corner had its run-off area adjusted, with the gravel moving closer towards the track and catching many drivers out.

Carlos Sainz was one to be caught out, remaining down in P13 after his first post-red flag run.

Nico Hulkenberg, sitting in a positive P3, was unsatisfied after being cut off by a messy Lewis Hamilton.

After racing the Haas, Hamilton attempted to run side-by-side with Oscar Piastri into the final corner, seeing Hamilton forced to drive through the pit lane.

The seven-time world champion earned himself a black-and-white flag for crossing the white line at the pit entry.

Lando Norris scuffed up a big dusting of gravel at Turn 10, coinciding with his teammate’s tense moment ahead.

The McLaren duo had a significant difference between their performances on the hard compound tyre, with Norris in P5 and Piastri in P17.

As for our other Australian, Daniel Ricciardo found his RB in P16, just under two seconds off the benchmark, however, seven-tenths ahead of Yuki Tsunoda.

The RB duo were also on the hard compound tyre,  separated by only Alex Albon who remained in the pits.

On the soft compound, Leclerc and Sainz demoted the Red Bull duo, with the #16 earning the top spot with a 1:38.130s lap.

Sainz wasn’t too far behind in P2, sitting just 0.252s back.

Carlos Sainz leads George Russell during FP1 at the Chinese GP. Image: Mark Sutton / Sutton Images.

With 20 minutes on the clock, Esteban Ocon crossed the line with the fifth fastest time, making the most of his fast-tracked floor upgrade while his teammate struggled with the old spec. 

It was an aggressive ride for Logan Sargeant who replicated Norris’ earlier route through Turn 10.

Shortly after, Williams sent both their drivers out on the soft compound, joining only Ferrari and Ocon on said compound.

They immediately jumped into P1 and P3, with Albon in his Panda helmet leading the way.

Piastri was caught out by the tailwind on the run to the final corner, unintentionally charging into the pit entry before reversing back on track.

Sainz also lost his way on a continued soft tyre run, with Perez then facing a messy run after locking up at Turn 6.

Red Bull came through to shatter Albon’s top-time hopes, with Perez improving despite his earlier error.

Perez was soon demoted by his teammate after Verstappen secured three purple sectors and a time of 1:36.660s.

Following the soft tyre trend, Ricciardo shot up to P4.

Daniel Ricciardo on track during practice ahead of Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix. Image: Lars Baron/Getty Images // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.

The Australian was half a second behind the championship leader, with Tsunoda joining him in the top ten. 

Despite their predictions of the car not suiting the slow-speed nature of the Shanghai International Circuit, McLaren were next to wow.

With five minutes remaining, Piastri claimed the fastest time of a 1:36.629s.

Norris looked set to accompany the #81, however, aborted his purple attempt. 

By nearly three-tenths, Lance Stroll demoted the Australian as he settled into P1, proving to be the quickest driver in the low-speed corners as the chequered flag was waved.

The drivers remained on track to complete their practice starts on the grid before heading back to their garages.

One driver who was unhappy with his session was Pierre Gasly who said he learned nothing across the hour, feeling as if his teammate’s session was prioritised.

Alpine reassured him that ahead of Sprint Quali, any issues would be sorted for the shootout in a few hours time, with so much known still to be discovered in Shanghai.

2024 Chinese Grand Prix

Friday, April 19

Practice 1: 13:30-14:30

Sprint Qualifying: 17:30-18:14

Saturday, April 20

Sprint: 13:00-14:00

Qualifying: 17:00-18:00

Sunday, April 21

Grand Prix: 17:00

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