George Russell topped opening practice for the Chinese Grand Prix with a 1m32.741s to lead a Mercedes one-two ahead of rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Lando Norris edged McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri late in the session to secure third, finishing just over half a second off Russell’s benchmark.

Charles Leclerc was fifth for Ferrari ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, while Oliver Bearman impressed in seventh for Haas ahead of Max Verstappen.

Nico Hulkenberg placed ninth for Audi ahead of Pierre Gasly, who rounded out the top 10.

Sprint qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix begins at 3:30pm local time (6:30pm AEDT).

Pos. No. Driver Team Time / Gap Laps
1 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:32.741 29
2 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.120s 30
3 1 Lando Norris McLaren +0.555s 29
4 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.731s 28
5 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.858s 28
6 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +1.388s 26
7 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team +1.685s 28
8 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +1.800s 24
9 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi +1.898s 27
10 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.935s 28
11 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +2.032s 29
12 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi +2.087s 26
13 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing +2.115s 26
14 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team +2.136s 25
15 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine +2.206s 26
16 23 Alexander Albon Williams +2.739s 31
17 55 Carlos Sainz Williams +2.938s 18
18 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +3.115s 18
19 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac +3.316s 25
20 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +4.483s 20
21 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +5.155s 6
22 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac +6.459s 13