SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets ahead of Nico Rosberg as Mercedes regained their dominant stride in the first free practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday.

Hamilton lapped the 5.451km Shanghai International Circuit in one minute, 39.033 seconds, with the Briton half a second quicker than his German team-mate.

The Ferraris were the next quickest as Sebastian Vettel finished the 90-minute session third ahead of Kimi Raikkonen.

Vettel had roared to a shock maiden win for Ferrari at the last race in Malaysia, benefiting from a bold strategy and searing track temperatures to end Mercedes' eight-race winning streak.

However, the cooler Shanghai weather appears to have relegated Ferrari to the role of best-of-the-rest once more, with Vettel ending the morning more than a second slower than Hamilton's benchmark despite a late improvement.