Max P8 in first and only free practice in China

Published on 13 March 2026 by Misha van der Kroon

Max Verstappen finished eighth in the first and only free practice session ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. On the 5.451-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit, George Russell set the fastest time in his Mercedes, followed by teammate Kimi Antonelli in second place. Lando Norris placed his McLaren in third. His teammate Oscar Piastri and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc completed the top five. Max’s Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate, Isack Hadjar, recorded the thirteenth-fastest time.

Ahead of the start of the session, conditions are rather chilly, with an air temperature of twelve degrees and no rain expected. The track temperature is just fourteen degrees, which does little to help grip levels. With a sprint race scheduled for Saturday morning, the sole practice session is particularly important. Any reliability issues at this stage could have significant consequences for the remainder of the weekend. When the lights at the end of the pit lane turn green, the track quickly becomes busy. Both Haas cars are the first to head out.

Max also takes to the track immediately. Like many others, he takes it easy during the opening laps to bring the tyres up to temperature. Early on in this session, Antonelli sets the pace in his Mercedes, while Max slots into third place. Shortly afterwards, a brief virtual safety car is deployed due to debris on the track. The situation is quickly resolved, but not long after the session resumes, Arvid Lindblad comes to a halt in his Racing Bulls at the end of the long straight, prompting another virtual safety car.

There are also issues for Carlos Sainz in the Williams. Apart from an installation lap, the Spaniard is absent from the track for the first half hour. Max has also spent some time in the garage and has dropped to twelfth place, nearly two seconds behind Russell, the fastest man at that moment. When the Dutchman heads back out, he begins a longer run, meaning an improvement in lap time does not follow immediately.

With fifteen minutes remaining, Max returns to the pits as Franco Colapinto’s Alpine comes to a halt in the pit lane. Fortunately, there is enough space for other cars to pass, so it does not cause any major disruption. At the front, both Mercedes drivers hold a commanding lead over the rest of the field. The gap to Leclerc’s Ferrari in third place is more than eight tenths of a second.

With just under ten minutes remaining, Max heads out on a set of soft tyres in an attempt to reduce the gap, which has grown to over three seconds. His first attempt moves him from thirteenth to sixth place, but the deficit to Russell in P1 remains significant at 1.8 seconds. For the time being, Red Bull Racing is unable to match the pace of the Mercedes and McLaren cars at the front. Hadjar is also struggling, setting a time that is more than three tenths of a second slower than Max’s. After the usual practice starts, the first and only free practice session in China comes to an end.

Results first free practice China: