Max Verstappen will start from P2 in the first sprint race of the season at the Shanghai International Circuit in China on Saturday morning (02:00 UTC). The four-time world champion from Red Bull is only outpaced in the sprint qualification (Sprint Shootout) by his major rival Lewis Hamilton, who surprisingly scores his first pole for Ferrari. Oscar Piastri is the fastest McLaren driver at P3.
Earlier in the day, Max Verstappen had disappointingly ended up at P16, but that result was significantly understated. This becomes evident in the sprint qualification.
SQ1: Liam Lawson Eliminated Early Again
The first laps in SQ1 immediately indicate the balance of power. Max Verstappen, on his mediums, clocks 1:32.329, but has to concede significantly to Oscar Piastri in particular, who leads the timesheet with a strong lap of 1:31.723. McLaren teammate Lando Norris, last week’s winner of the season opener in Melbourne, is faster than Verstappen despite a few steering errors in his lap.
In the second series of fast laps, Norris sets the record straight. He significantly improves to 1:31.396, but at the last moment, he is outdone by Lewis Hamilton who records the fastest time in his Ferrari: 1:31.212. Max Verstappen remains stuck in fifth place (1:32.916), behind Hamilton, Norris, Leclerc, and Piastri. The most notable dropout in SQ1 is Liam Lawson, Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull. He clocks the twentieth time (1:32.729), eight-tenths behind Verstappen. He was also eliminated in Q1 last week in Melbourne. Furthermore, SQ1 is mainly marked by the revenge of the rookies, with Bearman ahead of Ocon (Alpine), Bortoleto ahead of Hülkenberg (Stake F1), and Hadjar ahead of Tsunoda (Racing Bulls).
Eliminated in SQ1: Jack Doohan, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hülkenberg, and Liam Lawson.
SQ2: Hamilton Outpaces Leclerc, Sainz Eliminated
In the second part of the sprint qualification, Lando Norris immediately sets the pace with a time of 1:31.174, followed by Piastri (1:32.362) and Max Verstappen (1:31.521), who is once again performing well at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Towards the end of SQ2, George Russell manages to split both McLarens by clocking the second-fastest time (1:31.346). The top six are as follows: Norris, Russell, Piastri, Hamilton, Antonelli, and Verstappen. Notably, Hamilton is once again faster than his teammate Charles Leclerc.
Eliminated in SQ2: Fernando Alonso, Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Isack Hadjar.
SQ3: Hamilton Pulls Off a Stunt
In the final eight minutes of the sprint qualification in China, Oscar Piastri is the only one to break the 1:31-minute barrier in the first series of fast laps, clocking a time of 1:30.929. Russell and Norris come closest. Max Verstappen opts to sit out the beginning of SQ3, choosing to save rubber for a single fast run later in the weekend.
In the closing stages, Lewis Hamilton puts in a strong performance. He beats Piastri’s time with a 1:30.849. Lando Norris aborts his fast lap. Max Verstappen impressively secures the second-fastest time, clocking in at 1:30.867, also faster than Piastri.
SQ3 Results: Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lando Norris, Kimi Antonelli, Yuki Tsunoda, Alexander Albon, and Lance Stroll.
