SHANGHAI (AP) — Ferrari's Fernando Alonso set the pace in the first practice session at the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday, indicating the struggling team could emerge as a challenger to dominant Mercedes in Sunday's race. Alonso set a best time of 1 minute, 39.783 seconds around the Shanghai International Circuit as Ferrari's new team principal, Marco Mattiacci arrived at the paddock to take charge. Alonso was nearly 0.4 seconds faster than Mercedes' Nico Rosberg in second and nearly a second faster than Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo in third. Mercedes has won all three races to start the season, with Lewis Hamilton taking two and Rosberg one.Read more on NewsOK.com