Chinese GP: Weather conditions disrupt FP1 as Verstappen is quickest

The opening practice session of the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix was severely disrupted, as thick cloud cover over Shanghai reduced running to only a brief of around 15 minutes. 

Formula 1 rules stipulate that the medical helicopter must be able to fly for a session to be able to continue, if a road ambulance can't make it to the designated hospital  in a strict time limit. 

Four minutes into the session, the first red-flag was thrown, lasting 43 minutes, with running starting again at 10:47am local time. 

Around 15 minutes later, the red flag was thrown again, this time because the local airport had to close operations owing to the low cloud cover. 

The session then did not restart, with Race Control abandoning practice with around five minutes left on the clock, 

Hulkenberg spin

Although most of the field had a moment in the tricky conditions, Renault's Nico Hulkenberg was unable to keep his car on track, and spun out at Turn 2, beaching his car in the gravel, before being told by his race engineer that he was stuck and was not going anywhere. 

Cars quickly went out on Intermediate and Wet tyres, with both Haas drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean spinning at Turn 9. 

McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne went out on the Wet tyres, although he reported to the pit-wall that they were burning out and that he should box for Intermediates.

Max Verstappen was quickest for Red Bull, with a 1:50.491s,1.595s quicker than Felipe Massa in the Williams, who beat team-mate Lance Stroll into third. 

Only 14 drivers completed a timed lap, with Antonio Giovinazzi, slowest in the Sauber. 

Jolyon Palmer, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, Esteban Ocon, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton were the six drivers not to complete a timed lap. 

The question of FP2 running taking place is still unclear at the time of writing, with cloud cover getting noticeably thicker toward the end of FP1.