FP1: Stroll leads the pack as F1 returns to Shanghai
Lance Stroll set a blistering pace for Aston Martin during Friday’s first free practice session at the Chinese Grand Prix, marking a triumphant return for the Shanghai International Circuit after a five-year hiatus. Stroll led the timing sheets ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in what proved to be an action-packed opener to the weekend.
The 2024 season sees Shanghai hosting the first Sprint weekend, escalating the importance of FP1. With just a one-hour window to fine-tune their setups, teams and drivers pushed hard around the demanding 5.451 km circuit, which challenges with a blend of high, medium, and low-speed corners.
Drivers employed various run strategies from the onset, utilizing Pirelli’s hard, medium, and soft compounds in the opening 15 minutes. However, a brief red flag emerged as marshals extinguished a minor fire on the trackside grass at Turn 7.
Once practice resumed, close on-track battles intensified, highlighted by a near-collision between Lewis Hamilton and Piastri at the final corner. “I just got pushed off,” Hamilton reported over the radio, criticizing the McLaren driver. The incident earned Hamilton a black-and-white flag for crossing the pit entry line.
In the final moments of the session, Stroll surprised many with a late run on soft tyres, clocking in at 1m 36.302s, three-tenths of a second faster than Piastri and Verstappen.
Sergio Perez secured fourth in the other Red Bull, while Haas drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen used last-minute soft tyre laps to clinch fifth and sixth. Esteban Ocon of Alpine followed closely behind.
Rounding out the top 10 were Alex Albon, Daniel Ricciardo, and Valtteri Bottas in their respective Williams, Red Bull, and Kick Sauber cars. Zhou Guanyu, now the first Chinese F1 driver to compete on home soil, finished 11th.
Read next ❯ Ferrari to reveal Hamilton's debut F1 car on February 19 at MaranelloFurther back, Yuki Tsunoda placed 12th in the second of the Red Bull cars, trailed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who had set their fastest times earlier. Williams’ Logan Sargeant lamented a “terrible” push lap, landing him lower in the standings.
Lando Norris looked poised for a fast time on soft tyres but aborted his lap after two purple sectors, placing him 16th. Mercedes drivers George Russell and Hamilton posted their best times on hard tyres, ending the session 17th and 18th, respectively.
Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, also on hard tyres, completed 19th after an excursion into the escape road at the pit entry—a move later mimicked by Piastri. Pierre Gasly of Alpine closed out the grid, hindered by an ERS (Energy Recovery System) insulation issue.
Teams and drivers now face a critical few hours to analyze the data from FP1 as they prepare for Sprint qualifying later in the day.
