Max Verstappen has claimed his fifth consecutive pole position in 2024, taking out Formula 1 qualifying in China.
Earlier on Saturday, he won the first sprint race of the season and has now put himself in the perfect position to claim more points on Sunday.
While it was a fairly routine afternoon for the reigning world champion, plenty was happening below him.
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Lewis Hamilton made a costly error that saw him eliminated from Q1, while the struggling Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon progressed through to the next stage.
In Q2, Carlos Sainz ran wide at the final turn and spun out, resulting in a red flag. He avoided serious damage and impressively made it through to Q3, but was only fast enough for P7.
McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were temporarily sitting at P2 and P3 respectively, but Sergio Perez romped home to snatch the other front-row spot, with Fernando Alonso squeezing into third.
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F1 grid, qualifying times for Chinese Grand Prix
The below table shows the provisional classification after Saturday's qualifying session.
| Position | Driver | Team | Qual. time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:33.660 |
| 2 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1:33.982 |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:34.148 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:34.165 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:34.273 |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:34.289 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:34.297 |
| 8 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:34.433 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 1:34.604 |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake | 1:34.665 |
| 11 | Lance Stroll* | Aston Martin | 1:34.838 |
| 12 | Daniel Ricciardo* | RB | 1:34.934 |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon* | Alpine | 1:35.223 |
| 14 | Alex Albon* | Williams | 1:35.241 |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly* | Alpine | 1:35.463 |
| 16 | Zhou Guanyu** | Stake | 1:35.505 |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen•• | Haas | 1:35.516 |
| 18 | Lewis Hamilton•• | Mercedes | 1:35.573 |
| 19 | Yuki Tsunoda•• | RB | 1:35.746 |
| 20 | Logan Sargeant•• | Williams | 1:36.358 |
* Eliminated after Q2
** Eliminated after Q1
F1 China: Live updates, highlights from Chinese Grand Prix qualifying
End of Q3: Verstappen takes pole!
The reigning champion delivers yet again. No one was really in touching distance of Verstappen, who will now start Sunday's race as the heavy favourite.
The result also marks Red Bull's 100th pole position in F1.
It was a thrilling battle for the other front-row spot, with Perez nabbing it late to secure a 1-2 for Red Bull. Piastri recorded a strong lap at the end of Q3 but was trumped by teammate Norris. Alonso then went even faster before Perez flew home to break Aston Martin hearts.
Further down, the Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Sainz finished P6 and P7, while Russell finished P8 in what was an underwhelming qualifying session for Mercedes.
Q3, 4 mins to go: The cars are heading back out now for their final laps with the Ferrari pair leading the way.
Q3, 7 mins to go: It's Verstappen who sets the early pace, recording a 1:33.977. As it stands, Alonso will be joining him on the front row.
Start of Q3
Verstappen looks primed for another pole position here. Can the Dutchman get the job done again?
End of Q2
No major surprises, with both Alpine drivers eliminated alongside Ricciardo and Albon.
Stroll is also out after Bottas jumped into P10 with an impressive final lap.
Sainz, meanwhile, recovered well after his accident to move into Q3 safely.
Eliminated after Q1:
- Lance Stroll
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Esteban Ocon
- Alex Albon
- Pierre Gasly
Q2, 3 mins to go: Sainz is back on track and is doing his out lap. He will have one crack to make it through to Q3, though. Verstappen is still top and sets a new fastest lap.
Q2, 6 mins to go: And we're back underway. The barrier has been repaired, but no sign of Sainz yet.
RED FLAG: Sainz is off the track and a red flag has been called. The Ferrari driver goes wide into the gravel on the last corner and spins out. He controls the car nicely, though, and doesn't suffer any serious damage as he bumps into the barriers.
Racing will hopefully get underway again shortly, with Sainz able to get himself back to the pits for a repair. It's unclear whether Ferrari will send him back out.
Q2, 7 mins to go: Verstappen is getting nice and comfortable, becoming the first driver in this session to go below 1:34.000. He sits more than half a second ahead of the closest driver, Norris.
Start of Q2
No rush to start this second stage of qualifying, it seems. We're a few minutes in but everyone is still in their respective garages.
End of Q1
Wow – Hamilton is eliminated! The seven-time world champion is out in Q1 for the first time since Saudi Arabia in 2022. A late lock-up saw him finish P18 in a very disappointing performance for the Mercedes star.
Local favourite Zhou has been cruelly denied a Q2 berth in his home race, finishing less than a hundredth of a second behind Perez in P15. He is joined by Magnussen, Tsunoda and Sargeant.
Another storyline to note is that both Alpine cars have made it safely through. It has been a challenging season for the French team, so this is already a solid result.
Eliminated after Q1:
- Zhou Guanyu
- Kevin Magnussen
- Lewis Hamilton
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Logan Sargeant
Q1, 5 mins to go: Perez is the only driver yet to set a lap time following his run-in with Albon. Norris and Hamilton are the other big names in the bottom five.
Q1, 7 mins to go: Plenty of track evolution as the times keep getting quicker. Piastri goes top now with a 1:35.014.
Q1, 9 mins to go: Perez has to halt his flying lap with Albon in his way. The incident is currently under investigation by race control.
Q1, 12 mins to go: Russell sets the early pace, but drivers are still easing themselves into this session.
Start of Q1
We're underway in China!
15 mins to qualifying start: After a wet qualifying session on Friday, the conditions are less unpredictable today. Shanghai is currently dry and cloudy, with a temperature of 23 degrees Celsius.
30 mins to qualifying start: The last pole-sitter in Shanghai? Valtteri Bottas back in 2019. Fair to say the grid has changed a bit since then...
45 mins to qualifying start: In case you missed it, Verstappen took out today's sprint race. Norris started from pole but ran wide on the opening lap, finishing in P6. Hamilton and Perez rounded out the podium.
1 hour to qualifying start: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the Chinese Grand Prix main qualifying session for 2024.
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How to watch the 2024 F1 season in the USA
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How to watch the 2024 F1 season in the UK
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How to watch the 2024 F1 season in Australia
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