Citroën’s Ma Qing Hua set the pace in first practice for the World Touring Car Championship in Shanghai, ahead of Honda’s Tiago Monteiro and points leader José María López.
Ma, racing at his home circuit in Shanghai, ended up 0.131 seconds faster than Monteiro, as Citroën topped the session for the first time in the weekend.
The second works’ Honda of Gabriele Tarquini was fourth fastest behind López, just under half a second off the pace.
Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Mehdi Bennani was the leading Yokohama Trophy driver in fifth, ahead of the top Chevrolet of Tom Chilton in sixth.
Zengő Motorsport’s Norbert Michelisz was sixth fastest in the third Honda Civic, ahead of LADA’s Rob Huff in eighth.
Citroën’s Yvan Muller and LADA’s Nicky Catsburg completed the top ten, with the latter just over a second slower than Ma in the half-hour session.
Session results
| POS | NO | CL | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 33 | MA Qing Hua |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 11 | 1:51.706 | 0.000 | |
| 2 | 18 | Tiago MONTEIRO |  |
Castrol Honda WTC Team | Honda Civic WTCC | 11 | 1:51.837 | 0.131 | |
| 3 | 37 | José María LÓPEZ |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 9 | 1:52.042 | 0.336 | |
| 4 | 2 | Gabriele TARQUINI |  |
Castrol Honda WTC Team | Honda Civic WTCC | 10 | 1:52.190 | 0.484 | |
| 5 | 25 | Y | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 11 | 1:52.339 | 0.633 |
| 6 | 3 | Y | Tom CHILTON |  |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 9 | 1:52.494 | 0.788 |
| 7 | 5 | Y | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
Zengő Motorsport | Honda Civic WTCC | 9 | 1:52.562 | 0.856 |
| 8 | 12 | Rob HUFF | |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 10 | 1:52.629 | 0.923 | |
| 9 | 68 | Yvan MULLER |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 11 | 1:52.668 | 0.962 | |
| 10 | 10 | Nick CATSBURG |  |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 11 | 1:52.749 | 1.043 | |
| 11 | 9 | Sébastien LOEB | |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 10 | 1:52.920 | 1.214 | |
| 12 | 4 | Y | Tom CORONEL | |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 11 | 1:52.941 | 1.235 |
| 13 | 7 | Y | Hugo VALENTE | |
Campos Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 9 | 1:52.947 | 1.241 |
| 14 | 47 | Nicolas LAPIERRE | |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 13 | 1:53.193 | 1.487 | |
| 15 | 11 | Y | Grégoire DEMOUSTIER | |
Craft-Bamboo Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 12 | 1:53.656 | 1.950 |
| 16 | 27 | Y | John FILIPPI | |
Campos Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 9 | 1:53.907 | 2.201 |
| 17 | 26 | Y | Stefano D’ASTE | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 12 | 1:54.032 | 2.326 |