1. George Russell (Mercedes) - 1:32.741

2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.120

3. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.555

4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.731

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.858

6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +1.388

7. Oliver Bearman (Haas) +1.685

8. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1.800

9. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) 1.898

10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 1.935

Charles Leclerc reaches the final corner on what will probably be his last lap in this sole practice session. The Monegasque driver is coming in a bit too hot and a snap of oversteer sends him onto the gravel. The Ferrari mechanics will need to have a little look at the floor after that moment.

Lando Norris slips a place down the order with the arrival of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to the top three runners. The Australian is quicker than the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, so that's a plus, but he's 0.736 seconds away from challenging George Russell's Mercedes at the top.

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, is down in eighth spot, one placer lower than the Haas of Briton Oliver Bearman.

Mercedes once again are ahead of the pack by a large margin, just like in Melbourne last weekend. World champion Lando Norris tries his luck next but his McLaren can't replicate what the two Silver Arrows cars have done and he slots into fourth on the board, 0.959 seconds off the pace.

The soft tyres are bolted on and Kimi Antonelli moves to second on the timsheets behind George Russell. The two Mercedes are separated by 0.156 seconds.

Ferrari are next up in third and fourth, Charles Leclerc super-clipping his way down the long back straight and into the top three but his time is now over eight tenths away from Russell, as the Briton has just banked a better lap on his first soft flyer.

Lewis Hamilton's radio communication doesn't seem to have improved much in the new season. "Give me a plan, mate, I don't know where I am in the session," the seven-time world champion tells his engineer.

David C Macfie: Sorry, don't agree [with Smokey Bacon], since podium was exactly where Leclerc was last week... Lewis is back and running well with the new rear wing, my real surprise is Hadjar in front of Max... Putting a bet on Lewis for a podium, sprint or GP... Really is back!!!3

Mikey Nash: I don't actually blame Ferrari for their calls. Imagine having to try and find potentially 0.4 - 0.8 of a second per lap over a race. Thinking outside of the box is good, but you've still got to think... that's the issue.

Ken Saunders: I expect Lewis to have a good season this year.

Max Verstappen joked he has 'swapped the simulator for my Nintendo Switch' now that F1 feels more like the video game Mario Kart in 2026. The four-time world champion went from 20th to sixth in Melbourne and while he's not the biggest fan of the new regulations, he stressed he still loves to race - whatever that may feel like. The Red Bull driver is on the medium tyre in 12th but his front-left is looking quite angry due to the demands of the Shanghai International Circuit.

Image source, Getty Images

Oscar Piastri, who failed to start his home race in Australia, is running in the top four in China practice - three places higher than his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.

Lewis Hamilton has jumped above his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc on the timesheets on his soft tyre run and has managed to get the closest to George Russell at the top. The seven-time world champion is 0.208 seconds away from the Mercedes, however, Russell's time was set on the medium rubber.

Williams have got Carlos Sainz on track and the Spaniard is set out on the yellow compound to claw back some laps in this session.

Image source, Getty Images

Thank you, Smokey Bacon. Excellent username. Gold stars to all of you who are following along this morning. We've also got another overnighter in Japan to look forward at the end of the month.

Like Smokey, if there is anything on your mind you want to tell the group, send it to us by selecting the 'Get Involved' button on the page.

Lewis Hamilton is running the soft tyre and goes third on the timesheets behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc and former Mercedes buddy George Russell.

Over at Williams, Carlos Sainz is without a time on the board and is having to watch on as his team work away on the car. It's been a tough start to the new era of Formula 1 for the team and both Sainz and team-mate Alex Albon have said the car needs to shift a few pounds as it's overweight.

Smokey Bacon: Ferrari never learn. They may have a car that can win races this year but they will find 23 ways to ruin their chances of getting on the podium.

1. George Russell (Mercedes) - 1:34.169

2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.240

3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.625

4. Oliver Bearman (Haas) +0.781

5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.816

Image source, Getty Images

The battle between George Russell and Charles Leclerc in the opening laps at Albert Park was probably the highlight of the Australian Grand Prix, with both drivers saying they enjoyed the battle, even if it was more about energy deployment rather than pure racing.

China is expected to be a slightly kinder on the drivers this weekend, with more options available around the Shanghai circuit to recover some juice to the battery. So, will that give us a different race winner? We might be given an insight in tomorrow's 19-lap sprint event but for now, Charles Leclerc has inched closer to George Russell at the top of the timesheets by 0.240 seconds.

Ferrari have pulled out their upside down, 'Macarena' rear wing this weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix. Team principal Frederic Vasseur nicknamed it the Macarena wing because of the way it flips - if you do the dance in your head, you'll get the idea.

Charles Leclerc has climbed up the order but his time is still 0.538 seconds away from George Russell's best marker on the same medium tyre.

Image source, Getty Images

The VSC is cleared as Arvid Lindblad makes his way back to the Racing Bulls garage. George Russell is still top of the timesheets in this one and only practice session but his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli was on for a quicker lap before Lindblad's Racing Bulls came to a halt. The gap between the two is just over six tenths, both on the medium compound, but here comes the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc...

Arvid Lindblad scored points on his debut last weekend in Melbourne, becoming the third youngest points scorer in Formula 1 behind Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen. But this stoppage to his run plan will be a headache for Racing Bulls heading into the first sprint event under the new regulations. Will we see Lindblad again this session? The clock is ticking as the marshals push his car to a safe spot.

Yellow flagpublished at 03:44 GMT

03:44 GMT

The VSC disappears but now it's been replaced by a yellow flag. Brit rookie Arvid Lindblad has pulled to the side of the track and is now climbing out of the car. This is not what Racing Bulls want when the teenager is about to take part in his first sprint weekend.

The marshals are on the circuit to clear some debris away, just after George Russell beat Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli on the timesheets by 0.029 seconds. The Italian was looking good for another quick lap before the VSC was shown, so can he ruffle the feathers of Russell this weekend?

Isack Hadjar is not happy in his Red Bull. "The traffic is unbearable," says the Frenchman.

Lewis Hamilton is still on the track after his moment at Turn Four, with his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc second on the timesheets behind the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli. But Hamilton has been noted for causing a collision with Lando Norris.

The Italian teenager, meawhile, has clocked a 1:35.065 on the medium compound.

Franco Colapinto is facing the wrong way around Turn Nine on his out lap after a half spin. The Argentine driver manages to turn his Alpine the right way and get going, just as an Aston Martin is coming on the scene.

Over at Ferrari and McLaren, Lewi Hamilton and world champion Lando Norris get close during the opening moments of this practice session. The replays show Hamilton's brakes locked up, causing him to spin off the track. The seven-time world champion has probably flat-spotted those medium tyres he's running.