Lance Stroll finishes top in dramatic first free practice of Chinese GP in Shanghai

The start of the Chinese Grand Prix 2024 has been concerning with a brief grass fire halting the first training session here in Shanghai. However, Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll showed his skills as he finished fastest ahead of McLaren rival Oscar Piastri and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

During the intense 60-minute session, drivers navigated the 5.451km track, featuring a blend of high, medium, and low-speed corners. Various strategies were on display as teams experimented with Pirelli's hard, medium, and soft tyres in the opening quarter-hour. However, proceedings were briefly halted when marshals attended to a small fire on the trackside grass at Turn 7.

McLaren pushed Hamilton out!

As the action resumed, drivers jostled for track position, leading to a tense moment between Lewis Hamilton and Piastri at the final corner. Hamilton, voicing his frustration over the radio, claimed he was pushed off track by the McLaren driver as he approached from the outside. However, it resulted in Hamilton being flashed with a black-and-white flag for crossing the pit entry line.

Despite the drama, the clock continued to drop, with Stroll delivering a late effort on soft tyres. He clocked 1m 36.302s to secure the top spot which was three-tenths ahead of Piastri and Verstappen.

Behind them, Sergio Perez claimed the fourth spot for Red Bull, while Haas drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen capitalized on late runs to secure fifth and sixth respectively on soft tyres. Esteban Ocon of Alpine followed closely in seventh after getting a much-improved car.

Here is the final standings of 1st free race of Shanghai