Lando Norris sent a clear message in the first free practice of the Chinese Grand Prix: McLaren has arrived. Clocking a blistering 1:31.504, Norris was in a league of his own—almost half a second faster than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. But while one Brit soared, another big name faltered: Max Verstappen had a rare off-day, finishing 16th in a session that exposed Red Bull’s early vulnerabilities.
The revamped Shanghai International Circuit kicked off the first sprint weekend of the 2025 season, putting pressure on teams to get up to speed quickly. With only an hour of practice, the action came fast and chaotic. Oliver Bearman was first out, setting the early pace before George Russell sliced several seconds off the benchmark with a 1:35.1.
While others found their rhythm, a string of hiccups defined the session. Alex Albon went gravel-surfing, later reporting “something loose around the pedals.” Liam Lawson had a moment of his own, and Yuki Tsunoda noticed, “quite a lot of grip compared to last year.”
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Ferrari and McLaren trade blows
As the track evolved, McLaren and Ferrari went head-to-head for top honors. Russell briefly took the lead with a strong run on mediums, but the spotlight soon turned to Leclerc, Hamilton, and young Kimi Antonelli. However, Ferrari’s push was marred by mistakes—Leclerc spun off, Hamilton overshot the pit entry, and Antonelli reported: “My tyres are blistering.”
Still, Norris kept his cool. With the clock winding down and everyone switching to soft tyres, the McLaren driver delivered purple sectors and a commanding final lap, beating Leclerc by 0.454 seconds. Oscar Piastri rounded out the top three, giving McLaren a double podium in practice.
Verstappen out of sync
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen’s day never quite got going. Sliding around on the medium tyres and never switching to softs for a final time attack, the reigning champion looked uncharacteristically out of sync. He ended the session in 16th place—far from where Red Bull expected to be.
According to Red Bull boss Christian Horner, Verstappen had something special brewing before calling off a hot lap. “Max was 1.3 seconds ahead when he aborted the lap, which would have put him within three to four tenths of the fastest time of the McLaren,” Horner told Sky Sport.
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