Lando Norris continued his strong start to the 2025 season by setting the pace in Friday’s sole practice session at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix. The McLaren driver, fresh off his season-opening win in Australia, clocked a blistering 1:31.504 to top the timesheets ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and teammate Oscar Piastri. With Shanghai hosting the first Sprint event of the year, this single hour of track time was vital for teams and drivers to fine-tune their setups ahead of Sprint Qualifying later in the day.
What To Know
- Norris Dominates: Lando Norris topped FP1 with a blistering lap, nearly half a second ahead of Charles Leclerc, as McLaren showed dominant pace on Shanghai’s new surface.
- Ferrari Bounce Back: Ferrari looked improved after their Melbourne struggles, with Leclerc finishing second and Hamilton fourth despite limited running.
- Red Bull Off the Pace: Max Verstappen could only manage 16th after aborting his flying lap, while George Russell ended up fifth after failing to improve on soft tyres.
Norris looked in complete control throughout the session, finishing nearly half a second clear of Leclerc, while Piastri showed similar speed but lost time after running wide at the final corner, ultimately settling for third. With the compressed Sprint weekend format offering limited preparation, FP1 proved especially valuable as teams adjusted to the resurfaced Shanghai International Circuit and shifting track conditions.
Formula One History Recommends
McLaren Set the Benchmark as Ferrari Bounce Back in FP1 at the Chinese Grand Prix
Behind the leading trio, Lewis Hamilton delivered a more encouraging performance for Ferrari after the team’s Melbourne misfire, taking fourth place. The seven-time world champion didn’t attempt a second qualifying simulation in the session’s late stages, which were cut short by a red flag caused by Jack Doohan’s stricken Alpine. George Russell, who had topped the times on medium tyres earlier in the session, ended up fifth after failing to improve on softs.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen endured a scrappy session, finishing a lowly 16th after aborting his only flying lap. While the Red Bull driver is unlikely to stay down the order for long, McLaren’s pace was the standout story — and a potentially ominous sign for the rest of the field.
Norris’ lap time was more than two seconds quicker than Verstappen’s pole from last year, a stat helped by the new, high-grip surface laid at the Shanghai International Circuit. Yet even accounting for track evolution, McLaren’s outright speed has raised eyebrows. Russell added fuel to the fire on Thursday, suggesting that McLaren now holds a bigger performance advantage than Red Bull did at the height of their 2023 dominance — and could even win every race this season.
While that may be an exaggeration in a 24-race calendar, the evidence from FP1 suggests that McLaren had indeed taken a significant step clear of Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes — all of whom were locked in a tight fight at the end of 2024. Ferrari, at least, seemed to have recovered some ground. After a disappointing showing in Melbourne — where poor pace and strategy left them eighth and tenth — both Leclerc and Hamilton looked far more competitive in Shanghai. Hamilton was within a tenth of Leclerc on their first runs, a promising sign for the Scuderia as he continues to settle into his new team.
The session also laid to rest any speculation that McLaren’s performance might dip following a recent clampdown on rear wing flex. Norris confirmed Thursday that the team hadn’t needed to make any changes to comply with the updated regulations — unlike Alpine and Haas, both of whom made adjustments. If FP1 was any indication, McLaren’s confidence was well-founded, and the rest of the grid had a serious challenge on their hands heading into the Sprint weekend.
2025 Chinese GP FP1 Results
2025 Chinese Grand Prix FP1, 21 March 2025
Seen in:
