Lewis Hamilton a été le plus rapide de la 1re séance d’essais libres en Chine. Kimi Räikkönen est 2e et Valtteri Bottas a fait le 3e temps. On retrouve ensuite les Red Bull et Sebastian Vettel.
| Pos | Pilote | Temps | Écart | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:33.999 | 22 | ||
| 2 | 1:34.358 | +0.359s | 14 | |
| 3 | 1:34.457 | +0.458s | 28 | |
| 4 | 1:34.537 | +0.538s | 22 | |
| 5 | 1:34.668 | +0.669s | 22 | |
| 6 | 1:34.861 | +0.862s | 18 | |
| 7 | 1:35.178 | +1.179s | 21 | |
| 8 | 1:35.616 | +1.617s | 23 | |
| 9 | 1:35.718 | +1.719s | 21 | |
| 10 | 1:35.800 | +1.801s | 18 | |
| 11 | 1:36.037 | +2.038s | 21 | |
| 12 | 1:36.044 | +2.045s | 29 | |
| 13 | 1:36.051 | +2.052s | 28 | |
| 14 | 1:36.351 | +2.352s | 32 | |
| 15 | 1:36.691 | +2.692s | 31 | |
| 16 | 1:36.715 | +2.716s | 23 | |
| 17 | 1:36.723 | +2.724s | 23 | |
| 18 | 1:36.756 | +2.757s | 25 | |
| 19 | 1:36.909 | +2.910s | 21 | |
| 20 | 1:37.277 | +3.278s | 28 |