In a dramatic twist, it was McLaren’s Lando Norris who emerged, snatching pole position from the grasp of Lewis Hamilton in the very last seconds of F1 Sprint Qualifying for the Chinese GP.
Max Verstappen, a championship contender, was left frustrated after failing to find a clean lap.
A dramatic practice session at the Chinese Grand Prix has set the stage for an intriguing weekend. Fire erupted trackside after just 15 minutes, interrupting crucial data-gathering for teams. Drivers then faced tricky wind conditions, leading to several lock-ups, with Lewis Hamilton even receiving a black-and-white flag for a forceful maneuver.
With only one practice session to gather data and the added pressure of the inaugural Sprint Qualifying format, this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix promises to be a thrilling battleground.
SQ1
Track action got underway under cloudy skies with a threat of rain. During Sprint Qualifying, drivers are forced to use medium tires in SQ1 and SQ2, a compound not tested by all teams in the morning session, including Ferrari, for whom it will be an unknown. In Q3, however, the red tire, the softest, is mandatory. The biggest difference in the format this weekend is the distribution of the sessions over the weekend.
The first drops of rain fell during the first minutes of Q1, and all the drivers were forced to be quick on a single lap.
Track improvement was expected to continue as drivers took their turns setting fast laps. With 5 minutes to go, Sergio Perez took the lead ahead of his teammate, followed by Alonso in third place. Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari seemed to be struggling. There was one more attempt possible on the same tires, in which Carlos Sainz made a comeback to climb into fourth place. McLaren driver Lando Norris locked up at Turn 13 but managed to improve to second place.
The drivers eliminated from SQ1 were Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon, Yuki Tsunoda, and Logan Sargeant. It was a disappointing result for Tsunoda, who had been on a streak of positive qualifying results. His teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, on the other hand, will dispute SQ2 benefiting from a new chassis upgrade.
A fire broke out on the track again, in the same place as this morning, which delayed the start of the SQ2 session.
SQ2
SQ2 got off to a delayed start as a flurry of cars jostled for position at the pit lane exit, prompted by the looming threat of rain. In contrast, the two Red Bulls calmly emerged towards the rear of the pack.
Charles Leclerc emerged in first place during the initial stint, with the two McLarens hot on his heels and Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari in fourth. The Ferraris were then instructed to complete a cooldown lap before pushing again.
With four minutes remaining, the two Red Bulls made their move, sandwiching Leclerc into third place. Max Verstappen took the lead, followed by his teammate Sergio Perez.
As the track continued to worsen and rain intensified, George Russell’s impressive run came to an end, as he was surprisingly eliminated from SQ2 by Zhou Guanyu. The Stake F1 Team driver capitalized on the deteriorating conditions to secure his place in the sprint race top ten.
The eliminated drivers from SQ2 were George Russell, Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hülkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo, and Lance Stroll.
SQ3
In a dramatic turn of events, SQ3 took place under wet track conditions for the first time this season, providing a glimpse into the raw power of these cars on the rain-soaked surface. However, the treacherous conditions proved too much for some drivers, including Charles Leclerc, who lost control and spun into the wall, damaging his front wing.
Amidst the chaos, McLaren and Red Bull emerged as the beneficiaries, with their drivers managing to complete at least one lap. Sergio Perez set the pace with his first flying lap, securing a two-second advantage over Valtteri Bottas (Stake) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren), who completed the top three.
Max Verstappen had his first flying lap deleted for track limits and was unable to complete a clean lap, unlike Lando Norris, who finished in second position. However, both drivers went off track and their times were deleted.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin took pole position, but it was snatched away by Lewis Hamilton in the final seconds. The cars were struggling to stay on track and many drivers were suffering from deleted times for track limits.
Until a second before the end, Hamilton was on pole, but for a time that was reinstated after being deleted, the pole man for the first sprint qualifying is Lando Norris with a time of 1:57.840.
Sprint Qualifying Top Ten at Chinese GP
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)
- Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)