Max in P16 after only free practice in China

Published on 21 March 2025 by Misha van der Kroon

Max Verstappen wrapped up the first and only free practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix in 16th place. The Dutchman set his fastest lap on the medium tyres but aborted his final flying lap on the softs. Lando Norris topped the timesheets, with Charles Leclerc in P2 and Oscar Piastri in third. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell completed the top five.

When the session starts, the conditions are pleasant, with air temperatures at 22°C and track temperatures reaching 32°C. As soon as the pit lane light turns green, drivers take to the track, all opting for medium tyres. The Shanghai International Circuit has been completely resurfaced, and Yuki Tsunoda notes that grip levels are higher than last year.

Alexander Albon has an off-track moment in turn 2, running through the gravel, while Liam Lawson also briefly goes off track. Verstappen’s first lap is a 1:35.383, but he quickly improves to a 1:33.949. However, that is not enough to stay ahead of the McLarens: Norris is more than half a second faster, and, and Piastri clocks the fastest time so far with a 1:33.336.

Leclerc is the first driver to dip below the 1:33 mark, setting a 1:32.877. Teammate Hamilton also breaks into the top five, just like the Mercedes duo. With 35 minutes remaining, most drivers return to the pits. At that point, the top five is as follows: Russell, Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, and Verstappen. As the session reaches its halfway point, drivers begin heading back out, including Verstappen, who starts a run on medium tyres, but has some understeer.

Several drivers are struggling this session. Hamilton has a few tricky moments in turn 14, and Norris has one in the challenging braking zone of turn 1. Leclerc also shows how difficult that corner can be: he spins and runs through the gravel but manages to return to the track. Later, Hamilton goes wide when he enters the pit lane with his Ferrari.

Jack Doohan suffers a sudden power failure and his Alpine stops on track at turn 10, causing a red flag. The car is quickly removed, and with eight minutes left on the clock, the session is resumed. In the closing minutes, teams switch to soft tyres for qualifying simulations, leading to some serious improvements of times.

Verstappen puts in two personal-best sectors but eventually aborts his lap. Just before the session ends, Norris improves to a 1:31.504, securing the fastest time ahead of Leclerc. Piastri puts his McLaren into third, with Hamilton in fourth and Russell completing the top five. Max finishes the session in 16th, having set his best time on the medium compound. Teammate Lawson ends up 18th on softs, bringing the only free practice session of the weekend to a close.

Contest GP China: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing 2025 cap!

Results first free practice China: