Kiwi Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson made a solid start to the Chinese Grand Prix weekend after finishing 11th in the only practice session at the Shanghai International Circuit.
With the sprint format in play for the first time this season, teams had just a single hour of running to prepare before sprint qualifying later in the evening. That limited track time meant gathering data quickly was the priority, and Lawson delivered a clean and productive session for Racing Bulls.
The Kiwi completed two qualifying-style runs on the soft tyre compound late in the session, ultimately ending the hour just outside the top 10 as he focused on collecting valuable information for the team ahead of sprint qualifying scheduled for 8:00pm NZDT.
While Lawson enjoyed an uninterrupted session, it proved a frustrating start to the weekend for his rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad.
The young Brit managed only about 15 minutes of track time before his car ground to a halt at Turn 14 due to a mechanical issue. The stoppage triggered a virtual safety car and effectively ended Lindblad’s running, costing him crucial mileage at a circuit he had never previously driven in a Formula 1 car.
The lack of track time was particularly costly given the condensed sprint schedule, leaving the rookie with little opportunity to build confidence ahead of sprint qualifying.
At the front of the field, it was Australian Grand Prix winner George Russell who set the benchmark during the busy hour-long session. The Mercedes driver produced a late lap of 1m32.741s on the soft tyres to finish quickest, narrowly ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Lando Norris secured third for McLaren after edging out teammate Oscar Piastri in the closing moments of the session.
Behind them, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top six for Ferrari.
Cool conditions greeted the field when the session began, with temperatures around 12 degrees Celsius, creating tricky grip levels early on. Several drivers struggled with snaps and lock-ups during the opening laps, while incidents included a spin for Franco Colapinto and a separate moment for Hamilton later in the session.
Despite the interruptions, most teams managed to complete their planned programs before switching to soft tyres for qualifying simulations during the final 15 minutes, when lap times began to tumble.
For Lawson, the session provided a stable platform heading into the rest of the weekend as he aims to improve on last year’s results in Shanghai.
During the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix weekend, the Kiwi endured a difficult race before finishing 12th, just outside the points. Earlier that season, he had also suffered a DNF at the Australian Grand Prix and failed to score points during the Shanghai event, leading to the decision made by Red Bull to move Lawson to Racing Bulls and promote Yuki Tsunoda to take his place.
The sprint race also proved difficult for Lawson last year, where he finished 14th after qualifying 20th on the grid.
With that history in mind, the 23-year-old will be hoping for a stronger showing when sprint qualifying begins later tonight, giving him the opportunity to start further up the grid and challenge for points in Saturday’s sprint race.
The Chinese Grand Prix weekend now moves directly into sprint qualifying at 8:00pm NZDT, where Lawson will look to convert the valuable data gathered during practice into a stronger grid position.
Header Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
