Hamilton set early pace

Lewis Hamilton was fastest in opening practice for the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday ahead of Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel.

The defending champion lapped the 5.451km Shanghai International Circuit in a time of 1:39.033 to go 0.541s faster than his Mercedes team-mate, with Malaysian GP winner Sebastian Vettel third fastest for Ferrari.

Vettel's success has raised the possibility that Ferrari might offer Mercedes a significant title challenge this season, although general consensus has suggested that the tyre durability of the Scuderia's SF15-T in Sepang's extreme heat was the deciding factor.

Practice One Timesheet

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:39.033

2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:39.574

3. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:40.157

4. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:40.661

5. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1:41.012

6. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1:41.029

7. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull, 1:41.097

8. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, 1:41.112

9. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:41.303

10. Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:41.304

11. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 1:41.335

12. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 1:41.575

13. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:41.845

14. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:41.918

15. Jolyon Palmer, Lotus, 1:41.967

16. Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:42.141

17. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:42.161

18. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1:42.184

19. Will Stevens, Manor, 1:45.379

20. Roberto Merhi, Manor, 1:46.443

...SkySports