China Grand Prix
Sprint qualifying in Shanghai – LIVE from 9.30 a.m.
Lando Norris secured pole position for the sprint race in China on Friday. The McLaren driver kept his cool in the rain in Q3 and came out on top ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. World champion Max Verstappen only managed fourth place in his Red Bull in the rain in slippery conditions.
Formula 1's return to the Shanghai International Circuit in China proved to be extremely tricky. The drivers had to contend with the poor grip on the track. After just one hour of practice, it began to rain in the first knockout qualifying session of the weekend, which made grip even worse. As in the previous practice session, Verstappen initially only managed third place in the first twelve minutes. Team-mate Sergio Perez and Norris were faster.
Fires due to sparks
With a lead of 88 thousandths of a second, local hero Guanyu Zhou made it through to the second section of qualifying. This began with a slight delay after a piece of grass caught fire, as it had in the only previous free practice session. According to the International Automobile Federation, initial video analysis showed that sparks from the cars had started the small fires.
Verstappen set the fastest lap in Q2 before the heavier rain set in. George Russell, on the other hand, had to retire in the Mercedes. Zhou made it into Q3 to the cheers of the Chinese fans and finished tenth. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc slid off the track on the now wet asphalt, and Verstappen also had problems.
"It was incredibly slippery, it was difficult to keep the car on the track. It felt like you were driving on ice. But when it was dry, it worked quite well," explained the 26-year-old Dutchman.
Sprint race over 100 kilometers
The sprint race on Saturday covers a distance of 100 kilometers. Pole starter Norris spoke of a "wild" start. "It was fun, it gets your heart racing. A nice surprise and a good starting position for tomorrow." Red Bull, on the other hand, still has some work to do. "We have to improve significantly if we want to be up there at the front," said motorsport consultant Helmut Marko after free practice.
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