Pole position for George Russell in the Chinese Sprint Qualifying in Shanghai. Antonelli second, three-tenths behind. Ferrari fourth with Hamilton and sixth with Leclerc, with the two McLarens sandwiched in between
Pole position for George Russell in the Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying! Clocking in at 1:31.520, the British Mercedes driver secures pole for tomorrow morning’s Sprint (click here for the schedule) and will start ahead of Kimi Antonelli, who finished nearly three-tenths behind, locking out an all-Silver Arrows front row.
McLaren follows with Lando Norris in third, 0.621 seconds off the pace and just 20 thousandths quicker than Lewis Hamilton. Piastri takes fifth, ahead of a disappointing Leclerc in sixth: multiple mistakes in Q3 for the Monegasque driver made for a frustrating qualifying session for the Prancing Horse.
It was a poor showing for the two Red Bulls, with Verstappen (eighth) and Hadjar (tenth) constantly struggling throughout the session, finishing a full two seconds adrift of the Mercedes duo. Rounding out the top ten are Bearman’s Haas in ninth and, notably, an outstanding Alpine driven by Pierre Gasly in seventh.
Bocciata inoltre l’ala “macarena” di Ferrari: il Cavallino, che aveva accelerato i tempi per introdurla a Shanghai, ha provvisoriamente bloccato il tutto.
Q2 and the Top 10
After dominating Q1, George Russell repeated his performance in the second session, once again ahead of Kimi Antonelli. Ferrari trailed the two Mercedes, claiming third with Leclerc and fifth with Hamilton. Piastri and Norris were within a thousandth of Lewis’s pace. Alpine delivered a surprise, with Gasly securing an impressive seventh.
The two Red Bulls survived by the skin of their teeth: the Milton Keynes machinery, 1.3 seconds off the Mercedes pace, finished ninth and tenth. Eliminated were the two Audis, Ocon’s Haas, both Visa Cash App RBs, and Colapinto in the Alpine. Additionally, keep an eye on a potential impeding incident involving Antonelli on Norris’s McLaren in Turn 1, which is currently under investigation.
Q1 and the First Eliminations
George Russell set the fastest lap with a 1:33.030. The Ferraris followed closely, just a tenth behind, with Hamilton leading Leclerc. Antonelli was fourth, four-tenths back, followed by a gap down to the McLarens. Red Bull struggled: Verstappen was only eleventh, and Hadjar fourteenth.
Disaster for Williams and Aston Martin: both the Grove and Silverstone outfits were knocked out in Q1, finishing over two seconds behind the leader Russell, alongside Valtteri Bottas. Finally, Sergio Perez’s Cadillac did not take part in the Sprint Qualifying session.
Photo: f1.com
