Lando Norris delivered an impressive lap in the sole practice session for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix to set the early pace in Shanghai.
Ahead of qualifying later on Friday to determine the grid for Saturday’s first sprint race of the new season, Norris saw off Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc by 0.454 seconds.
Oscar Piastri finished third for McLaren, six tenths behind team-mate Norris, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton fourth, more than two tenths adrift of Leclerc. George Russell finished fifth for Mercedes.
World champion Max Verstappen was only 16th in the order, but he abandoned his best lap when running marginally slower than Leclerc at the time.
Norris arrived in Shanghai leading the world championship for the first time in his career after he impressed to win at last weekend’s rain-hit Australian Grand Prix.
On Thursday, Russell claimed Norris has the car to win every race and said McLaren’s advantage is superior to that enjoyed by Red Bull when they won 22 of the 23 rounds two years ago.
And Norris did little to dispel Russell’s theory after he lapped nearly half-a-second clear of anyone else.
Stake’s Nico Hulkenberg took sixth, ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso. Following an error-strewn full debut in Melbourne, British teenager Ollie Bearman will take confidence from posting the 11th best time.
The session had earlier been red flagged for seven minutes when Jack Doohan broke down in his Alpine.
Qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race gets under way at 3.30pm local time (7.30am GMT).
