The opening Friday practice for the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix would get underway with the drivers having the hard and medium tyres at their disposal. Gone were the green stripes that were seen in Japan. Most drivers would complete their installation laps but both Williams drivers would start a second lap but
would return to the pits without setting a time. The majority of drivers were on the harder tyre for the start of the session. As per usual neither Ferrari had come out with ten minutes of the session run. Bourdais would set the first time of the session with a 1m:39.5 but he was the only driver on the track. With nearly the first half hour completed Nico was in second ahead of Piquet and Glock. Bourdais was still fastest but Piquet would move ahead of Nico, Glock and Trulli.

As more drivers et time Bourdais would remain fastest but Webber was now third followed by Button, Glock, Barrichello, Trulli, and Nico. Raikkonen would move to the top of the times with a1m:36.6 but would spin at Turn one. Trulli would also have a spin at the same Turn as the track was nearly full with only Bourdais and Nico still in their pits. Kovalainen was now second as Massa, Hamilton, and Kubica all went about setting their first lap times. Kovalainen was now fastest from Raikkonen, Bourdais, and Alonso. But Massa would move to the top of the times while Hamilton was down in sixth. There were several changes at the top with Massa, Hamilton, and Raikkonen all sharing at turn at the top. Trulli had spun at Turn eleven but was able to continue.

With twenty minutes of the session remaining Nico, 1m:37.986, and Kazuki, 1m:38.356, were down in sixteenth and eighteenth. Fastest was Hamilton, 1m:35.630, followed by Massa, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Kubica, Alonso, Heidfeld, Bourdais, Piquet, and Vettel in tenth. With just over fifteen minutes left in the session Nico would pit joining the top six drivers. Kazuki would also pit. With under ten minutes remaining Massa, Kubica, and Alonso were back out. They were joined by Hamilton, and Kovalainen. Raikkonen would also leave the pit lane.

Both Nico and Kazuki would also return to the track for their final run. With five minutes left Hamilton was still fastest from Massa, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Kubica, and Alonso. Piquet would take to the gravel while entering the pits. Only Heidfeld and Button had yet to take to the track. Button was back out as Webber pitted. Heidfeld was also back out with only a few minutes left.

Kazuki had improved to be fifteenth, 1m:37.941, while Nico was now seventeenth, 1m:37.986. Kazuki was on a quick lap as Fisichella ran off the track but was able to continue. Nico was now fourteenth, 1m:37.638, while Kazuki was sixteenth after having failed to improve his time. Hamilton would run wide at Turn eleven while Kubica ran wide at Turn one. Kazuki's next lap would see him in thirteenth, 1m:37.630, as the session came to a close. Nico would pit having dropped down to fifteenth.

With the end of the session Hamilton was still fastest from Massa, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Kubica, Alonso, Heidfeld, Bourdais, Piquet, and Vettel in tenth. Thirteenth and fifteenth for the Williams team was not the most of encouraging of starts for the team but it is early days with another session later in the day in which the team can look at improving.

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time     Laps
 1.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes     (B)  1:35.630 23
 2.  Massa        Ferrari              (B)  1:36.020 24
 3.  Raikkonen    Ferrari              (B)  1:36.052 23
 4.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes     (B)  1:36.103 21
 5.  Kubica       BMW Sauber           (B)  1:36.507 25
 6.  Alonso       Renault              (B)  1:36.661 25
 7.  Heidfeld     BMW Sauber           (B)  1:37.040 23
 8.  Bourdais     Toro Rosso-Ferrari   (B)  1:37.070 32
 9.  Piquet       Renault              (B)  1:37.180 30
10.  Vettel       Toro Rosso-Ferrari   (B)  1:37.278 25
11.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault     (B)  1:37.491 26
12.  Button       Honda                (B)  1:37.619 25
13.  Nakajima     AT&T Williams-Toyota (B)  1:37.630 23
14.  Coulthard    Red Bull-Renault     (B)  1:37.638 22
15.  Rosberg      AT&T Williams-Toyota (B)  1:37.638 26
16.  Glock        Toyota               (B)  1:37.664 29
17.  Barrichello  Honda                (B)  1:37.827 28
18.  Trulli       Toyota               (B)  1:38.219 24
19.  Sutil        Force India-Ferrari  (B)  1:38.285 25
20.  Fisichella   Force India-Ferrari  (B)  1:38.479 26