Caterham reserve driver Ma Qinghua (right) listens to crew member at the team garage before the first practice session at the Chinsese F1 Grand Prix in Shanghai on Friday. [AP]

Chinese racer hits the Shanghai circuit in style for Caterham

The Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, celebrating its 10th anniversary, welcomed its own local hero on Friday in Shanghai.

Ma Qinghua, a 25-year-old Shanghai native, completed a free practice on the Shanghai International Circuit as the reserve driver for Caterham, becoming the first Chinese-born driver to race around the home track.

Although it was only a practice, it was enough to delight Chinese fans.

"I'm here particularly to watch Ma's practice. Otherwise, the session is not all that attractive," said Wang Kai, a university student in Shanghai.

Ma completed 20 laps in the morning practice session with fastest of 1 min, 43.545 sec. The time ranked last among the 22 drivers who took part in the session, which was topped by Nico Rosberg of Mercedes (1:36.717).

The day's fastest time went to Felipe Massa of Ferrari (1:35.340) in the afternoon session.

It was the fifth F1 practice session for Ma. He drove for the now-defunct HRT team in Italy, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and the US last year.

"The practicing went pretty smooth today it has provided me with valuable experience on the circuit," Ma said after the session.

"It was the first time I have driven a Caterham F1 car and I'm still learning. There was only one set of tires for me in the practice, so I had to be careful.

"It's a great honor for me to be here representing China. While driving on the circuit, I was focusing on the race. But off the track, I'm proud of being a Chinese driver at an F1 GP here."