F1 Results Today: Chinese Grand Prix practice times as SURPRISE driver tops charts

The only practice session of the weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix was far from uneventful, with a number of incidents including a brief red flag for a fire on the track's grass.

Max Verstappen looked at his imperious best in the first action in Shanghai since 2019, getting reacquainted with the track ahead of the day's sprint qualifying session, although it was Lance Stroll who topped the timing sheets.

READ MORE: Chinese Grand Prix practice red flagged after BIZARRE fire

The McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris appeared to struggle in the track's low speed corners, possibly making a straight-up Sunday battle between Ferrari and Red Bull most likely – although their pace in the high-speed sections may help to mitigate that.

Mercedes looked off the pace at a glance, but a closer look muddies that picture somewhat, as both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell only completed laps on the hard tyre.

An upgraded Haas looked promising on the qualifying simulation runs at the end of the session, harking back to their impressive one-lap performances of 2023.

F1 FP1 Results: Chinese Grand Prix 2024

Here are the timesheets from Friday morning in Beijing.

1. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin] - 1:36.302sec

2. Oscar Piastri [McLaren] - + 0.327sec

3. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] - +0.358sec

4. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] - + 0.388sec

5. Nico Hulkenberg [Haas] - + 0.799sec

6. Kevin Magnussen [Haas] - +0.816sec

7. Esteban Ocon [Alpine] - +0.911sec

8. Alex Albon [Williams] - +0.927sec

9. Daniel Ricciardo [VCARB] - +0.936sec

10. Valtteri Bottas [Kick Sauber] - +1.228sec

11. Zhou Guanyu [Kick Sauber] - +1.324sec

12. Yuki Tsunoda [VCARB] - +1.704sec

13. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] - +1.788sec

14. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari] - +1.982sec

15. Logan Sargeant [Williams] - +1.984sec

16. Lando Norris [McLaren] - +2.328sec

17. George Russell [Mercedes] - +2.504sec

18. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] - +2.537sec

19. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin] - +2.634sec

20. Pierre Gasly [Alpine] - +2.974sec

Who is the current F1 world champion?

The imperious Max Verstappen is the current reigning Formula 1 champion, having won three consecutive titles between 2021 and 2023.

READ MORE: F1 Chinese Grand Prix: Full track layout for Shanghai International Circuit

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