In the sixty-minute free practice before qualifying, the 488 GTE no. 51 of AF Corse, crewed by Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado, was the fastest of the Ferraris on track, closing the session in second position.
LMGTE Pro. The Italo-British pair clocked a best time of 1:59.611, after a total of 24 laps. While Calado worked on performance, Pier Guidi did a long run to check the consistency of the tyres on the Chinese track, also trying different configurations of the rear wing. Davide Rigon and Miguel Molina set the sixth fastest time. As usual, they used the session to choose the best set-up for the race but struggled to find the best grip. They completed 26 laps, with a fastest time of 1:59.952.
LMGTE Am. The third free practice session held at the Shanghai circuit saw the Ferraris placed in the middle of the group in the Am class. François Perrodo, Emmanuel Collard and Nicklas Nielsen were the fastest of the Prancing Horse crews, with a best time of 2:01.093. The trio of Grimes, Mowlem, and Hollings in the 488 GTE of Red River Sport set the ninth fastest time of 2:01.346 and showed some decent pace over the 24 laps. Fisichella, Castellacci, and Flohr finished tenth after their 24 laps, with a best time of 2:01.449. Three minutes before the end of the session, with Castellacci at the wheel, car no. 54 of AF Corse crashed into an LMP1 class prototype that had re-entered the track in the path of the Ferrari while it was braking at the end of the long straight of the Chinese circuit. The accident led to a red flag and brought the session to an early close. Twelfth place, however, went to the 488 GTE of MR Racing of Ishikawa, Beretta, and Cozzolino, who closed the 60-minute session with a best time of 2:02.049. The trio completed 26 laps.