McLaren’s strong performance, Lewis Hamilton’s attempt to recover after a tough start with Ferrari, and the death of Eddie Jordan have made headlines as Formula 1 prepares for its first Sprint weekend of the season at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Lando Norris arrived in Shanghai leading the drivers’ standings for the first time after his victory at the Australian Grand Prix last Sunday. However, it was his fast qualifying pace for McLaren — not just beating Red Bull’s Max Verstappen — that had other drivers worried ahead of practice.
McLaren’s speed
Mercedes driver George Russell even suggested that McLaren could win every race this season, calling their raw speed advantage “bigger than Red Bull has ever had.” But Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri disagreed, saying that the form would change between races. However, the rest of the drivers were not so sure.
“They’re definitely ahead,” said Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. “The gap in qualifying, the gap that there was (in Australia, 0.385sec to the nearest non-McLaren) is more or less what there is.”
“I think we are around Mercedes and Red Bull in terms of lap times if we put everything together,” Leclerc added, “so there’s still a big chunk to get McLaren then.”
Norris and McLaren lived up to the expectations when the British driver finished first in the opening practice session on Friday, almost half a second ahead of Leclerc.
Norris spent much of the session pushing his McLaren to its limits, having a few off-track moments as his rivals swapped times at the top. However, he showed his speed towards the end with a 0.454-second advantage.
Piastri was third, with his final lap affected after he went wide at the last corner, turn 16. Hamilton looked more at ease in fourth, ahead of Russell, who finished fifth.
Alpine’s Jack Doohan caused drama in the session with 15 minutes to go after a power steering problem forced him to stop on track at the exit of turn 10. Doohan is under pressure at Alpine following a crash in the opening lap of the Melbourne race.
It’s uncertain if a new technical directive will change the order in China, with the FIA, the sport’s governing body, enforcing stricter rules on rear wing flexing with a tougher static load test.
None of the drivers revealed what caused the FIA’s new rules or who it would most likely affect.
“We don’t have to change anything,” Norris said. “Ours is fine. In fact, ours was probably too good, and we probably weren’t pushing the limits enough. If this technical directive had been applied last weekend, we would’ve been fine.
“It seems to be directed (at) other teams, which probably means we should push it a little bit more.”
Lewis Hamilton gestures as he arives to his team garageHamilton ready for improvement
For seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, China offers a chance for a fresh start after a tough debut with Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne last weekend. He qualified eighth, briefly led the race, but lost his position due to the team’s tire strategy.
However, the 40-year-old, who holds the record for the most Formula 1 wins with 105 GP victories and 104 pole positions, says he still needs more time to fully apply his experience with his new team.
“As I get more comfortable and more knowledgeable about the car, I can start making more decisions,” Hamilton said about his preferred setup. “I’m having those discussions, and I’m going to lean a little bit more with adding my experience hopefully a bit more in it.”
Hamilton is hopeful that his performance at the Australian GP was a one-off for both him and Ferrari.
“I hope so,” he said. “I think our car looked pretty decent on Friday (in Australia) and even on Saturday morning. So, I think it’s a bit of a one-off.”
Another tough challenge for F1 rookies
China’s Sprint weekend format will be another tough test for F1’s six rookies. The track has been completely resurfaced, and with only one practice session, it’s harder to get a baseline setup before Sprint qualifying.
Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli said it feels like a return to F2 with its tight schedule, but the Italian knows what he has to do.
“You want to finish free practice and say ‘Okay, like I got to a good level of driving. I’m not so far from the limit and I know where I have to make the step for qualifying,’” Antonelli said. “The important thing is going to be to get as close as possible to the limit without making any big mistakes.”
At Racing Bulls, Isack Hadjar is eager to move on from his crash in Melbourne, where he hit the Turn 2 barrier during the formation lap.
After the crash, Hadjar was seen walking back to the garage, visibly upset, with his hands on his helmet. Red Bull motorsport consultant Doctor Helmut Marko called it embarrassing, but Hamilton’s father, Anthony, took the time to comfort Hadjar with some kind words.
“It was a nice moment, sharing time with someone like Anthony as well — obviously, the dad of my idol,” Hadjar said. “So that was quite a special moment. And Lewis sent me a message later that day. Really classy guys.”
Lando Norris walks through the paddockRIP Eddie Jordan
The F1 community was saddened on Thursday with the news that former team owner Eddie Jordan had passed away.
Known and loved throughout the sport, “EJ” ran the Jordan team from 1991 to 2005. His humor, strong opinions, and wide network made him a popular media figure after selling the team. His latest project was co-hosting the “Formula for Success” podcast with former F1 driver David Coulthard.
The 76-year-old Jordan also worked as the manager for design legend Adrian Newey when he left Red Bull for Aston Martin last year.
Jordan was receiving cancer treatment before his death. His family released a statement, shared by rugby club London Irish, where Jordan was a patron, saying he “passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town.”
Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle, who raced for Jordan in 1996, led the heartfelt tributes from the sport.
“What a character. What a rock star. What a racer,” Brundle posted on social media. “So many drivers owe you so much, you gave us our chances and believed in us.”
