Alfa Romeo Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen was 11th for the Swiss team in the second free practice session Shanghai International Circuit: the 2007 Formula One world champion completed 33 laps in FP2, with a personal best of 1’34.551, ahead of Toro Rosso pair Alexander Albon and Daniil Kvyat, the latter joining the session late after Honda undertook a precautionary engine change.
Alfa Romeo got Antonio Giovinazzi’s power unit problems sorted in time for him to do his first timed laps of the weekend in the second practice session, but it was a difficult day for the Italian driver, who ended up 18th ahead of the Williams pair.
Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas edged Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in Friday’s second practice session for Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished just 0.221s behind Bottas as an opportunity to top the session slipped through his fingers when he drifted wide at the final turn. Fourth-placed Lewis Hamilton was almost half a second further adrift; both he and Bottas had early spins on their out laps on an initial run amid struggles in getting tyres up to temperature.
Renault and McLaren impressed with short-run pace as Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr. finished fifth and sixth respectively, the German just 0.059s behind Hamilton, while Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo were eighth and ninth.
Pierre Gasly was again off the pace as his struggles with Red Bull’s RB15 continued, with the Frenchman at the foot of the top 10, nine-tenths behind Verstappen.
Saturday’s final practice session will begin at 11:00 local time (GMT +8)
FP1 Results (Classification):
Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:30.354 Soft
Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +0.263 Soft
Valtteri Bottas Mercedes +0.974 Soft
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +1.247 Soft
Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +1.319 Soft
Pierre Gasly Red Bull Racing +1.461 Soft
Carlos Sainz McLaren +1.598 Soft
Nico Hulkenberg Renault +1.686 Soft
Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso +1.985 Soft
Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo +2.031 Soft
Daniel Ricciardo Renault +2.047 Soft
Kevin Magnussen Haas +2.248 Soft
Alex Albon Toro Rosso +2.520 Soft
Sergio Perez Racing Point +2.531 Soft
Lando Norris McLaren +2.591 Soft
Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo +2.595 Soft
Romain Grosjean Haas +2.640 Soft
Lance Stroll Racing Point +3.164 Soft
George Russell Williams +3.834 Soft
Robert Kubica Williams +3.899 Soft
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