Chinese Grand Prix: George Russell maintains strong season opening with top time in practice session in China
George Russell continued his strong performance by recording the fastest time in practice as Mercedes established a rapid early pace in China. Russell excelled in Melbourne last week, securing victory in the season’s opening event and taking an early lead in the world championship standings.
The British driver was once again impressive at the Shanghai International Circuit, finishing 0.120 seconds ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Lando Norris was next for McLaren, trailing Russell by 0.555 seconds, and positioned just ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri.
Charles Leclerc, the only other competitor to finish within a second of Russell, placed fifth after running through the gravel at the final corner.
Leclerc’s teammate Lewis Hamilton experienced a spin at Turn 6 during the early stages and concluded the one-hour session 1.3 seconds off the leading pace. He also failed to record a competitive time following a messy final lap.
Earlier, Hamilton and Norris narrowly avoided contact at the last corner. The stewards observed the incident but opted not to take further action.
Ollie Bearman delivered an impressive performance, finishing seventh in his Haas, while four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who has expressed frustration with Formula One’s new regulations, ended up in a distant eighth, a significant 1.8 seconds behind the leader.
Mercedes has made a strong start this season, and based on the single practice session prior to qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race, their advantage appears to be substantial, if not even greater, here. Russell completed just one competitive lap, indicating that there may be additional time to gain from the Silver Arrows.
In other news, British rookie Arvid Lindblad, who earned points on his debut in Melbourne, suffered a mechanical failure after only six laps, while Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished 18th and 20th for Aston Martin, as the team’s difficulties persisted.
Qualifying, which will set the grid for Saturday’s sprint race, is scheduled for 3.30pm local time (07.30am UK).
Source: espn.com
