“Late Red Flag Disrupts Practice as Ferrari’s Leclerc Spins at Chinese Grand Prix”…..read more
In the opening practice session for the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, a late red flag disrupted teams’ plans and limited their ability to complete qualifying simulations. The incident was caused by Jack Doohan’s car breaking down on track with just over 10 minutes remaining in the session. This caused a delay while his car was recovered, and teams were left scrambling to make the most of the remaining time. As a result, many drivers faced difficulties finding clear track space for their final laps, leading to some congestion at the end of the hour-long practice.
Lando Norris, however, made the most of the session, setting an impressive lap time of 1:31.504, which was nearly half a second faster than any of his competitors. His time was also just four-tenths shy of the fastest-ever lap set at the Shanghai circuit by Sebastian Vettel during qualifying in 2018. The McLaren driver’s performance highlighted his team’s strong showing in the session.
The session wasn’t without drama, though. Early on, a couple of drivers made mistakes, with both Alex Albon and Liam Lawson running off into the gravel. Despite these off-track excursions, the resurfaced Shanghai circuit delivered better-than-expected performance, with grip levels notably improved. Yuki Tsunoda, in particular, praised the new surface over the team radio, noting the significantly better grip compared to the old track.
One of the most notable moments of the session came from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who spun his car around 180 degrees at Turn 2 after losing traction. Fortunately, he was able to recover without hitting the wall, avoiding any major damage. Despite this spin, Leclerc still managed to post the second-fastest time of the session, trailing Norris by just 0.454 seconds.
The results from the first practice session of the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix showed a highly competitive field. In addition to Norris and Leclerc, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri secured the third-fastest time, just 0.649 seconds off Norris’ pace. Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari and George Russell of Mercedes completed the top five, with Hamilton just 0.691 seconds behind the leader and Russell 0.873 seconds off Norris.
Notable performances also came from Nico Hulkenberg, who placed sixth for Kick Sauber, and Alex Albon, who was seventh for Williams. Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin finished eighth, while Kimi Antonelli, also of Mercedes, rounded out the top 10. At the other end of the spectrum, the session was challenging for Jack Doohan, who ended up last, over 2.4 seconds behind Norris.
Overall, the first practice session in Shanghai showcased a promising start for McLaren and a strong performance from several top drivers, setting the stage for an exciting weekend of racing.
