Chinese Grand Prix qualifying: Max Verstappen on pole, Red Bulls on front row

Q1

The single-seaters take to the track for this Q1 following closely the sprint race this morning in China, won by Max Verstappen, followed by Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez. Nico Hülkenberg is the first to set off on track, while the stewards note an incident in the pit lane involving him. It will be investigated after the session.

Kevin Magnussen is at the top of the timesheets with 1:36.626, but quickly falls behind George Russell, who is 0.190s faster. At the same time, we learn that the DRS is not working on Yuki Tsunoda’s car, who is returning to the pit, as Guanyu Zhou.

Lando Norris is 0.092s behind George Russell. Logan Sargeant makes a mistake but nothing serious for him. Charles Leclerc outperforms them, but Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton then head out on track on soft tires, like most other drivers. The Aston Martins also show good pace in these early minutes of qualifying, as well as… Valtteri Bottas. Then came the Dutchman in 1:35.171… behind Fernando Alonso at 1:35.116. On his end, Sergio Perez complains on the radio about being hindered by the Williams of Alex Albon.

Oscar Piastri sets the fastest first and second sectors and records a time of 1:35.014, the fastest of the bunch, a good 0.102s ahead of Fernando Alonso. Then came Carlos Sainz who improves his lap and is the first to go under the 1 minute 35 seconds mark, with a time of 1:34.970. Lando Norris is even faster, at 1:34.842. It is very close among the top three in this Q1 session, while we are 2 minutes from the end and Hamilton and Ricciardo are among the drivers at risk of being eliminated. The Australian manages to make it into Q2, while Max Verstappen sets the fastest time but Lewis Hamilton is eliminated in Q1 and apologizes to his team, but it is a big blow for Mercedes. Bad news also for Guanyu Zhou, eliminated on home soil, while the crowd was cheering his success just a few seconds earlier. He explains that he lost all grip at turn 14, without understanding why. Yuki Tsunoda is also very frustrated by his elimination, even though his lap was not bad.

The eliminated in Q1: Logan Sargeant (20th), Yuki Tsunoda (19th), Lewis Hamilton (18th), Kevin Magnussen (17th), Guanyu Zhou (16th).

Q2

We’re off for Q2, Ricciardo wastes no time and heads out on track immediately. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc complains about having to stop twice in the pit lane. Everyone sets off on soft tires, no surprise. Piastri is initially the fastest with a 1:34.460, but Norris arrives 0.199s quicker… then overtaken by Verstappen, a solid 0.514s ahead.

But Carlos Sainz makes a gross error, going off track in turn 16 and losing control of his car, ending up in the grass, hitting the signs on the edge of the track. A mistake that triggers a red flag. The front wing of the Ferrari is completely destroyed, as well as the nose. However, the Scuderia works quickly enough to get it back on track for Q2.

10 minutes later, we’re back on track with George Russell who hasn’t set a time in Q2 yet. Verstappen also hits the track and sets the best time at 1:33.946, followed by Lando Norris and Russell. We’re 2 minutes away from the end and Charles Leclerc is set to post his one and only time in this Q2, like many other drivers, including his teammate who went back out after his mistake. The Spaniard is losing a lot of time in the 2nd sector, while the Monegasque is also quite slow. But Sainz manages to qualify and is even faster than his teammate, just behind him. Huge relief for Ferrari after this close call.

The eliminated in Q2: Pierre Gasly (15th), Alex Albon (14th), Esteban Ocon (13th), Daniel Ricciardo (12th), Lance Stroll (11th).

Q3

Now is when everything is at stake for the top 10 of the Chinese Grand Prix grid. Like in Q2, George Russell is the first to leave the pits, followed by the Red Bulls. No one is wasting any time. Verstappen sets a time of 1:33.977, the fastest so far, followed by Alonso who slots in between the two Red Bulls, while Piastri makes a mistake in the last corner, running too wide. A big time loss for the Australian. The cars then return to the pits before coming back out with 3 minutes to go.

Charles Leclerc is very fast in the second sector, the track seems better than at the beginning of Q3. Sainz puts himself in 2nd place behind Verstappen, then his teammate in front, before Australia also improves, ahead of the Ferraris. Lando Norris finally takes 2nd place, and it’s Max Verstappen who takes pole, at 1:33.660. Big surprise at the end of Q3 with Fernando Alonso taking 2nd place… But Sergio Perez slips just ahead of him. The two Red Bulls therefore start on the front row, followed by Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and then the two Ferraris.