Oscar Piastri took his first career pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix, ahead of George Russell. The two Ferraris will start from the third row.
Oscar Piastri claimed his first-ever pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix. The McLaren driver set a time of 1:30.641, breaking the track record set by Lewis Hamilton just yesterday. Joining Piastri on the front row will be an outstanding Russell, who finished just 82 thousandths of a second behind the pole position. An incredible lap from the Mercedes driver.
In the second row, the two championship contenders for 2024 are Lando Norris in third and Max Verstappen in fourth. Norris struggled again in qualifying while Verstappen will start next to him. The Ferrari team, after an impressive performance in the sprint race, couldn’t shine in qualifying. Lewis Hamilton will start fifth, 0.286 seconds behind pole, and Charles Leclerc will start sixth, 0.337 seconds behind Piastri’s pole time.
Completing the top 10 are the Racing Bulls drivers Hadjar and Tsunoda, with Hadjar securing a fantastic seventh position, while Tsunoda missed out on a chance to break into the third row. Antonelli will start eighth, while Albon closes the top 10.
F1, China Qualifying: Minute-by-minute recap
09:01 – POLE POSITION for Oscar Piastri! The McLaren driver takes pole for the Chinese Grand Prix with a time of 1:30.641, just 82 thousandths of a second ahead of an incredible George Russell. The second row consists of Norris in third and Verstappen in fourth. Ferrari will start from the third row, with Hamilton fifth, 0.286 seconds behind Piastri, and Leclerc sixth, 0.337 seconds off. The top 10 is completed by Hadjar, Antonelli, Tsunoda, and Albon.
08:59 – The first to begin is Max Verstappen, starting his lap right now.
08:57 – The top ten cars are back on track for their second and final attempt in Q3! The pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix is up for grabs!
08:54 – The Ferraris are on track now, with Lewis Hamilton in fourth, 0.224 seconds behind Piastri’s best time, recording 1:30.703. Charles Leclerc is in sixth, 0.337 seconds behind the leader, while Norris is in second, just 90 thousandths behind the top spot. Russell is between the two Ferraris, but the Racing Bulls are impressive again, and will be on track with fresh tires.
08:52 – First time of Q3 is set by Max Verstappen with a lap time of 1:30.925. Hadjar is half a second behind the Dutchman, but on used tires.
08:50 – All drivers in Q3 have started their laps! Ferrari’s performance will be interesting to watch, as they seem to be struggling with similar issues seen in the Australian qualifying. Hadjar, Tsunoda, and Albon are on track with used tires.
08:48 – GREEN LIGHT FOR Q3! The hunt for pole position begins, with Lando Norris seeming to be the favorite after Q2, while Ferrari seems to have taken a step back compared to yesterday’s qualifying. Hamilton is half a second slower than his time from yesterday.
08:41 – Incredible lap from Hadjar, securing fourth place ahead of his teammate Tsunoda. Great qualifying from Racing Bulls. Russell is in sixth, and Kimi Antonelli qualifies ninth. Albon also manages to qualify for the final qualifying session, finishing tenth, while Sainz is eliminated along with Alonso, Hulkenberg, Ocon, and Stroll.
08:39 – The first time checks are in, with Verstappen moving up to second, 0.35 seconds off, while the Ferraris struggle, with Leclerc sixth and Hamilton seventh.
08:37 – The second and final attempt in Q2 is underway. Right now, Stroll, Ocon, Hadjar, Alonso, and Sainz are eliminated. All drivers are on track with fresh tires, except for McLaren who used them only in the first stint.
08:34 – The two Ferraris are out on used tires, with Hamilton in seventh, 0.830 seconds off the top, and Leclerc in ninth, just 0.022 seconds behind Hamilton. Verstappen is in third, 0.447 seconds behind Norris. Albon makes a good first attempt, moving to eighth, while Tsunoda improves to fifth.
08:32 – The first lap times are in during Q2, with Norris leading with a time of 1:30.787 on soft tires. Piastri is second, 0.4 seconds behind Norris, while Russell is third, 0.5 seconds off.
08:28 – GREEN LIGHT, Q2 BEGINS! Fifteen drivers remain to battle for the top 10 spots in Q3!
08:20 – Everyone improves their times, with Leclerc moving up to seventh. Norris takes the top spot in Q1, with Racing Bulls’ Hadjar ahead of Tsunoda. Another disappointing performance for Liam Lawson, who finishes last again. He is joined by Gasly, Doohan, Bortoleto, and Bearman.
08:16 – Three minutes remain in Q1, and most drivers are out on track for their final attempts with fresh tires. Leclerc needs another lap to secure his place in the next qualifying session, currently 13th, 0.634 seconds behind the leader.
08:14 – More times are coming in, with Kimi Antonelli improving to third place and looking safe. Lando Norris also does his first real lap but remains in seventh. The biggest name in danger is still Leclerc, struggling and currently 13th after his run on fresh tires.
08:12 – It’s been a good session for Racing Bulls so far, with Tsunoda overtaking his teammate to move up to fourth. Leclerc is in the middle of his flying lap but is not improving. Ferrari’s number 16 is struggling.
08:11 – Some drivers are already on their second set of soft tires. Hadjar has made a huge improvement, moving into fourth place, with Alonso in fifth and Bortoleto in seventh. The two Williams have completed their laps, with Sainz tenth and Albon in sixth.
08:09 – The first flying laps for Mercedes have come in, with George Russell in third, 0.5 seconds behind the leader, and Antonelli fourth, nearly seven-tenths behind. A time for Lando Norris is canceled, and he’s now at risk of elimination. Max Verstappen has completed his first lap, finishing ahead of everyone with a tenth and a half advantage over Piastri!
08:07 – The two Ferraris are on track, with Leclerc posting a disappointing 1:32.840, while Hamilton moves to second with 1:31.690. Piastri sets the fastest time, just a tenth ahead of Hamilton.
08:05 – The first times in Q1 are coming in, with Carlos Sainz posting 1:33.012, while Doohan has a brief off-track excursion. It’s a tough weekend for the Australian, with everyone on track now aiming to improve their times!
08:00 – GREEN LIGHT IN SHANGHAI! The first session of qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix has begun! The first cars are out on track, aiming to secure a spot in the next qualifying session!
07:54 – The final touches are being made to the cars. Max Verstappen‘s Red Bull is still on the jacks, but the Dutchman, who finished third in the Sprint Race earlier, will be on track for the first qualifying session.
07:48 – Good morning Italy! The qualifying session is about to start. Just a few hours ago, Lewis Hamilton won the Sprint race, with Piastri and Verstappen following behind!
04:42 – Now we wait for qualifying: Verstappen admits he lacks pace, while Piastri is hopeful for a potential win. “I hope to start further ahead,” says Oscar.
04:37 – Good morning Italy! Lewis Hamilton WINS the Sprint in China, with Piastri and Verstappen following! Leclerc finishes fifth, and the SF-25 is in great form.
