Penalties possible after practice
During the last hour of practice before qualifying, the McLaren driver made a mistake on the pit entry road — as he famously did one year ago at the Shanghai International Circuit.
This time, however, the 23-year-old avoided the famous gravel trap, instead running up an escape road.
But when he then selected reverse gear and backed into the pit entry before continuing into the pits, he may have contravened a fundamental rule.
Last month in Singapore, Toyota's Jarno Trulli was fined 10,000 after he drove the wrong way up the pit straight in order to enter the pits following a spin.
Article 30.2 of F1's sporting regulations says drivers are "strictly forbidden" from driving the wrong way around a circuit, "unless this is absolutely necessary in order to move the car from a dangerous position".
As well as the fine, Trulli was also officially reprimanded.
Meanwhile, Red Bull's Mark Webber is likely to drop ten places down the Chinese grand prix grid, after an obvious Renault engine failure in practice.