Follow live coverage of the second free practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix with F1i.
FP1 gets underway at 1400 local time at the warm, bright but hazy Shanghai International Circuit. Nico Rosberg is looking to capitalise on his two wins so far this season to extend his early lead in the 2016 world championship, and also his run of five consecutive Grand Prix victories overall.
It looked like pole position this weekend would be plain sailing for Rosberg after his Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton was hit by a five-place grid penalty for Sunday's race after having to take a new gearbox following the discovery of damage following the Bahrain GP. However Rosberg ended FP1 in 'limp home mode' with a suspected engine issue, so that might change the picture. We'll find out more when FP2 gets underway.
Rosberg and Hamilton were fastest in FP1, followed by alternating Ferraris and Red Bulls, but the morning session was dominated by two red flags as a result of tyre issues for Williams' Felipe Massa and Renault's Kevin Magnussen. Pirelli and the teams have been investigating the causes - some sort of bodywork rub was suspected on Massa's car while debris causing a puncture was the prime suspect for Magnussen. Either way the teams lost some 30 minutes of running in FP1 and will be keen to make up the time this afternoon.
As well as Massa and Magnussen, there were also problems for Haas F1's Esteban Guttierez who got only two laps in before an unspecified technical issue meant he spent the rest of the morning in the garage. Sauber's Felipe Nasr also had problems late in the session. Meanwhile Fernando Alonso was back in action for Mclaren but heavily strapped up because of the broken ribs he suffered in that horror crash in Melbourne last month, meaning he needed a further medical evaluation at lunchtime to confirm he can indeed take part in this weekend's activity. That will include the return of the 2015 qualifying format on Saturday after the teams last week demanded the controversial elimination-style qualifying be dropped.
F1i's live page has been updated to bring you a better user experience, while the coverage will bring you all the latest information about what is happening on track as well as news and features from the paddock.
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