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Formula 1 Chinese GP

Chinese GP final practice and qualifying

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Stopwatch
That's better from the Ferrari! A clean lap from Kimi sends him back to the top of the pile. 1m34.794s is 1.6s up on Hulkenberg.
The Renaults are on softs tyres by the way, so Raikkonen needs to get on with it. Gasly goes second now for Toro Rosso, also on the soft compound.
Stopwatch
Hulkenberg goes top for Renault, 1.362s up on Raikkonen as Sainz slots the second Renault into third.
Crash
Looks like Raikkonen went deep into the final hairpin on that second lap. Scruffy at the moment.
Stopwatch
1m37.763s is a bit more sensible from Raikkonen. Magnussen's first flier is 2.207s off that after a wide moment early in the lap.
Radio Comms
"I blocked him" concedes Magnussen, who is asking Haas what the deal was with occupying similar space to Raikkonen on the track.
Radio Comms
"What's going on with these cars?" he asks Ferrari.
Stopwatch
Raikkonen gets us off the mark, but the lap is a slow 1m45.080s as he gets blocked by Magnussen's Haas in the high speed esses.
Radio Comms
"I have your position but no data from the car" McLaren tells Vandoorne.
Raikkonen isn't wasting time. Heading straight out on ultrasofts in the Ferrari.
Crash
Ricciardo won't be going anywhere anytime soon. His Red Bull is up
on stands and being furiously worked on by Red Bull mechanics.
Green flag
Final practice is underway in China. The Saubers and Grosjean's Haas head straight out.
Information
Weather update from Shanghai: Overcast, drizzly, has rained on/off this morning. The track temperature is currently 15C, the air is a chilly (by F1 standards) 12C so expect grip to be difficult to come by.
Autosport
Hamilton put Mercedes on top yesterday, but only just. Less than a thousandth of a second separated him from Raikkonen's Ferrari, which had traffic on its best lap. With Red Bull not far behind either it looks all to play for this weekend.

Is F1 finally set for its big-three battle royale? - F1 - Autosport Plus

While Ferrari has been flawless and Mercedes fast but prone to error, a combination of factors have stopped Red Bull joining F1's top two teams at the front of the pack so far this season. Has it finally joined the fray in China?

Is F1 finally set for its big-three battle royale? - F1 - Autosport Plus
Welcome back to our live coverage of the Chinese Grand Prix. Not long to go until the final practice session gets underway at the Shanghai International Circuit.

By: Geoff Creighton

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