Lando Norris dominates Chinese GP FP1, clocks fastest FP1 time ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri

Lando Norris made a powerful statement at the Chinese Grand Prix, asserting himself as the frontrunner for the Sprint qualifying session after delivering a dominant lap in Free Practice 1. The McLaren driver clocked a blistering 1:31.504, finishing nearly half a second ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. With the newly resurfaced Shanghai International Circuit hosting its first Sprint weekend of the F1 2025 season, teams wasted no time in making the most of the single practice hour.

The session kicked off with Oliver Bearman leading a queue of cars onto the track, including the Aston Martins, which carried a shamrock and Eddie Jordan’s name in tribute to the late F1 team boss. Early on, George Russell showcased pace on the medium Pirellis, setting a 1:35.1 before McLaren and Ferrari emerged as the teams to beat once soft tyres came into play.

Williams’ Alex Albon faced early trouble, going off into the gravel and reporting to his team that “there’s something loose around the pedals.” Meanwhile, Liam Lawson also had a moment, while Yuki Tsunoda noted that the track was “quite grippy” compared to previous years. As teams gathered crucial data, McLaren’s Norris and Oscar Piastri traded fastest laps before Lewis Hamilton entered the fray with a 1:33.2.
At the 30-minute mark, Russell had completed double-digit laps and held the fastest time at 1:32.3, placing him ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton. However, as drivers ventured out for their second runs, Verstappen suffered a big slide, Pierre Gasly battled “wrong” switch settings, and Carlos Sainz complained of “bouncing and oversteering.” Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, wrestled with the wind.

Hamilton’s session was briefly interrupted by suspension adjustments, while his Ferrari teammate Leclerc spun into the gravel as he attempted to close in on Russell. Meanwhile, Mercedes' rising star Kimi Antonelli reported “blistering” on his tyres.
With only eight minutes remaining after a red flag caused by Alpine’s Jack Doohan, all drivers switched to soft tyres. While Leclerc briefly took the top spot, Norris delivered a masterful final lap, going purple to secure the fastest time by 0.454s over the Ferrari driver.
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As Norris topped the session, Verstappen remained a surprise outlier, finishing 16th after aborting his flying lap. With the McLaren driver showcasing such dominance, he is now firmly the man to beat heading into Sprint qualifying.