Chinese Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton or Mercedes fastest in both Friday practice sessions in Shanghai

Lewis Hamilton completed a practice double on Friday as he bids to get his Formula One championship charge back on track in China.

Hamilton, who will head into Sunday's race 17 points adrift of Sebastian Vettel, ended both sessions at the top of the order after delivering an ominous warning to his rivals.

But Hamilton's slim advantage over Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen at an overcast Shanghai International Circuit suggests the Mercedes driver may not have it all his own way this weekend.

Chinese Grand Prix betting

• 8/13 Lewis Hamilton
• 11/4 Sebastian Vettel
• 10/1 Valtteri Bottas
• 12/1 Kimi Raikkonen

While defending champion Hamilton was a third of a second clear of Raikkonen in the day's opening running, the margin at the conclusion of the second session stood at only seven-thousandths.

Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas, under pressure following a middling display in Bahrain a week ago, was third, just 0.033 sec off the pace, while Vettel was also only one-tenth down.

As both Mercedes and Ferrari cars seemingly teed up a shoot-out for pole position on Saturday, Max Verstappen finished fifth in the order.

The 20-year-old Dutchman, who revealed on Thursday that he will not adapt his aggressive style despite his collision with Hamilton in Bahrain, spun off in Friday's opening session.

Verstappen clipped the apex at the last bend and slid off into the gravel. He nursed his Red Bull back on to the circuit and escaped without damage.

Verstappen's team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, who retired from the Bahrain Grand Prix following an electrical issue, was ninth in the order.

McLaren sit third in the constructors' championship, but their lofty position is flattered by other teams' failures at the opening two grands prix.

And there were further troubles for the British team on Friday after sending Stoffel Vandoorne on track with his left-rear tyre not properly fitted.

The Belgian was forced to stop on track, and the incident comes only days after Raikkonen's catastrophic pit stop in Bahrain which resulted in one of his Ferrari mechanics sustaining a double leg fracture.

The McLaren cars were off the pace, too, with Fernando Alonso only 10th, more than one second down on Hamilton, while Vandoorne posted only the 14th-fastest time before his late stoppage.

The promised wet weather arrived in the closing moments of the second 90-minute session by which time Canadian Lance Stroll was rooted to the foot of the order in another miserable showing for Williams.

FP1 Times

1. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:33.999
2. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:34.358
3. Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:34.457

4. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:34.537 5. Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:34.668 6. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:34.861 7. Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:35.178 8. Carlos Sainz Renault 1:35.616 9. Romain Grosjean Haas 1:35.718 10. Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:35.800 11. Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:36.037 12. Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:36.044 13. Sergio Perez Force India 1:36.051 14. Esteban Ocon Force India 1:36.351 15. Sergey Sirotkin Williams 1:36.691 16. Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1:36.715 17. Charles Leclerc Sauber1:36.723 18. Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren1:36.756 19. Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:36.909 20. Lance Stroll Williams1:37.277

FP2 Times

1. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes1:33.482secs
2. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:33.489
3. Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:33.515

4. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:33.590 5. Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:33.823 6. Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:34.313 7. Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:34.458 8. Carlos Sainz Renault 1:34.473 9. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:34.557 10. Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:34.632 11. Sergio Perez Force India 1:34.792 12. Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:34.849 13. Esteban Ocon Force India 1:34.874 14. Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:35.163 15. Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1:35.333 16. Sergey Sirotkin Williams 1:35.340 17. Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:35.624 18. Charles Leclerc Sauber 1:35.916 19. Romain Grosjean Haas 1:36.471 20. Lance Stroll Williams 1:37.147

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