Felipe Massa and Nico Rosberg head up practice in China - Mercedes look strong in practice, as Sergio Pérex goes off twice
Published by Christine
Nico Rosberg found himself on top of the timesheets in the first practice session in China, a year on from his pole position and maiden win at the same location. Lewis Hamilton slotted in nicely in second, a good start for the Mercedes duo.
Sergio Pérez had less luck, following in the footsteps of Hamilton by crashing off into the gravel trap by the pitlane. Esteban Gutiérrez also had a moment in the gravel. Caterham ran the first Friday driver of the season with Ma Qing Hua in for Charles Pic.
Max Chilton had a difficult afternoon, after breaking down just eight minutes into the start of the second session in Shanghai. A power failure saw him return to the garage, the mechanics worked hard to get him back out again with ten minutes to go, but the car pulled to a halt for a second time.
Meanwhile, the Mercedes pair looked strong to start with again, but they were beaten by a flying Felipe Massa. When the longer fuel runs began, tyre degradation was talk of the town, with Lewis Hamilton reporting: "Never seen the tyres behave this way." Oh, and Pérez managed to spin off into the gravel again.
