As the first 2 practice sessions of the Chinese Grand Prix wraps up, it is advantage Hamilton as he topped the timesheets. The winners of the opening 2 races, Ferrari ended day 1’s practice session hot on pacesetter Mercedes’ heels.

The Briton took just 1:33.482 seconds to lap the 5.4 km long Shanghai International Circuit. However, lead Ferrari, Raikkonen was a mere 0.007 seconds shy of P1.

Meanwhile, Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas was third and 0.033 seconds off the pace. Championship leader Sebastian Vettel had to settle for fourth, around 0.108 seconds slower that his rival’s best.

The top three was the same as the first session and the 2 teams quickly established their status as favourites.

“We got through all the laps that we needed and got some good feedback about the car,” said Hamilton.

“The balance of the car is good but we have some fine-tuning to do on it tonight. Ferrari were quick and Red Bull looked really fast on the long run.

“It’s good to see all the times so close, but it means that we really need to bring our A game. We need everyone in the team to be on it throughout the weekend because it is a joint effort,” he added.

Although it has mostly been a Ferrari and Mercedes show, Red Bull must not be discounted either. The Austrian marquee may not have had the best of starts but we can be sure that they will overcome their issues. With Renault reportedly providing a few upgrades for all 3 teams, Red Bull should be on the money. Besides, who knows, maybe the works Renault team or even McLaren could be right up there. Speaking of McLaren, they were fined for an unsafe release, the 5th one in 3 races. As a result, the teams have vowed to get to the bottom of the issues.