After 5 long years off the Formula 1 calendar the Shanghai International Circuit kicked off this weekends return with a bang as Lance Stroll topped Friday afternoon’s time sheets ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.
The first sprint weekend of the year meant teams would be limited on running to just a single practice session, as Sprint Qualifying would take the place of the normal free practice two, late-afternoon session, in anticipation of Saturday’s race.
With only a hour of time available, teams embarked on aggressive strategies up and down pit lane to learn what they could for this weekend. A small grass fire in turn 7 forced the sessions only stoppage as drivers hustled back on track to learn what they could in an even more reduced setting.
Sergio Perez would follow behind his Red Bull teammate to finish 4th on the sheets, ahead of the surprise Haas duo of Hulkenberg and Magnussen – both making their final run on the soft-compound tires. Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon, Daniel Ricciardo, and Valterri Bottas would round out the top 10.
HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from FP1 as Stroll tops the timesheets ahead of Sprint Qualifying
Full practice results are below as teams quickly recover for the Sprint Qualifying later Friday. Check out the weekend schedule below and stay tuned for more coverage.
FORMULA 1 LENOVO CHINESE GRAND PRIX 2024 Schedule
| Date | Session | Time (Local Circuit) |
| Apr. 19th | Practice 1 | 11:30 – 12:30 |
| Sprint Qualifying | 15:30 – 16:14 | |
| Apr. 20th | Sprint | 11:00 – 12:00 |
| Qualifying | 15:00 – 16:00 | |
| Apr. 21st | Race | 15:00 |
Free Practice 1 Results:
| POS | NO | DRIVER | CAR | TIME | GAP | LAPS |
| 1 | 18 | Lance Stroll | ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES | 1:36.302 | 21 | |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:36.629 | 0.327s | 24 |
| 3 | 1 | Max Verstappen | RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT | 1:36.660 | 0.358s | 25 |
| 4 | 11 | Sergio Perez | RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT | 1:36.690 | 0.388s | 24 |
| 5 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | HAAS FERRARI | 1:37.101 | 0.799s | 23 |
| 6 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | HAAS FERRARI | 1:37.118 | 0.816s | 23 |
| 7 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:37.213 | 0.911s | 23 |
| 8 | 23 | Alexander Albon | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:37.229 | 0.927s | 19 |
| 9 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB HONDA RBPT | 1:37.238 | 0.936s | 25 |
| 10 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | KICK SAUBER FERRARI | 1:37.530 | 1.228s | 24 |
| 11 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | KICK SAUBER FERRARI | 1:37.626 | 1.324s | 24 |
| 12 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB HONDA RBPT | 1:38.006 | 1.704s | 27 |
| 13 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | FERRARI | 1:38.090 | 1.788s | 20 |
| 14 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | FERRARI | 1:38.284 | 1.982s | 19 |
| 15 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:38.286 | 1.984s | 23 |
| 16 | 4 | Lando Norris | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:38.630 | 2.328s | 21 |
| 17 | 63 | George Russell | MERCEDES | 1:38.806 | 2.504s | 21 |
| 18 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | MERCEDES | 1:38.839 | 2.537s | 24 |
| 19 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES | 1:38.936 | 2.634s | 22 |
| 20 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:39.276 | 2.974s | 21 |
