Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll set the unexpected pace in the only practice before Friday morning’s Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese GP in an intriguing session which had earlier been interrupted by a bizarre grass fire.
With F1 cars running around the vast and fast Shanghai International Circuit after a five-year absence at the start of the season’s first Sprint weekend, teams appeared to take differing approaches approaches to the hour of running with alternative strategies for tyres and, seemingly, fuel loads evident through the field to create an unusual-looking final timesheet.
World champion Max Verstappen had led much of the session, on medium and then soft tyres, for Red Bull but was overhauled in the closing minutes as track conditions evolved by first McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and then Aston Martin’s Stroll.
Stroll’s fastest time of 1:36.302 was 0.327s quicker than Piastri’s, with Red Bull’s Verstappen a further 0.021s adrift.
Sergio Perez was fourth in the second Red Bull ahead of the Haas cars of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, who Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in sixth.
F1 is back in China for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic and the appearance of the Shanghai track surface had surprised drivers and teams during their circuit walks on Thursday with what some had initially thought was darker painted sections but was actually a bitumen treatment, which is designed to prevent disintegration and eliminate dust.
However, it was soon the grass on the inside of the track that causing more concern once practice commenced on Friday.
It was a quarter of an hour in to running when a small fire suddenly broke out on a patch of grass on the inside of Turn Seven. Race Control threw the red flag, with cars returning to the pit lane, with marshals able to put the fire out, with a scorched section of grass left to show for the bizarre incident.
While highly unusual, it appears a spark generated by a titanium skid-block on the underside of a car while hitting the ground through the high-speed section may have been the culprit amid dry but windy conditions after earlier rain in the week.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
A black and white flag for Lewis Hamilton was given after the driver failed to follow the race director’s instructions by crossing the line at pit entry.
Mercedes, meanwhile, were the only team to exclusively run the hardest, and slowest, tyre compound through the session, meaning George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished down in unrepresentative 17th and 18th positions as a result.
Hamilton was given a black-and-white warning flag during the session after not adhering to the race director’s instructions by crossing the white line on the entry to the pit lane.
However, the Briton’s decision to take to the pit lane appeared to be sudden and inadvertent after he said he was pushed wide at the final corner by the McLaren of Piastri.
More to follow…
Sky Sports F1’s live Chinese GP schedule
Friday April 19
8am: Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 8.30am)*
Saturday April 20
3.30am: Chinese GP Sprint (race starts at 4am)*
7am: Chinese GP Qualifying build-up*
8am: Chinese GP Qualifying*
10am: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook*
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
A quick look back at some of the biggest moments from the Chinese Grand Prix over the years…
Sunday April 21
7am: Grand Prix Sunday: Chinese GP build-up*
8am: The CHINESE GRAND PRIX*
10am: Chequered Flag: Chinese GP reaction*
11am: Ted’s Notebook*
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
You can watch every session of the Chinese Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 and steam every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
Ad content | Stream Sky Sports on NOW
Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League, EFL, F1, England Cricket, Tennis and so much more.