Verstappen secures Red Bulls 100th pole at Chinese GP as Hamilton sees Q1 elimination

Feature image credit: Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton encountered a shock exit out of Q1.

Q1

Before qualifying even started, there was already a queue waiting for the pit exit light to turn green. However, only half the field went out straight away, the remaining drivers ventured out later on. 

Part-way through the first qualifying third, Williams’ Alexander Albon and Perez were noted by race control for impeding by Albon. Perez was on a fast lap but he faced a slow-moving Williams who was on the edge of the circuit, on the outside of T1. 

No further action was deemed as the appropriate action for the Perez/Albon incident.

The biggest shock to Q1 would be the elimination of Hamilton who could only put in a lap time that knocked him into the elimination zone. 

Ultimately, Hamilton’s lap was only good enough for P18, ahead of both Yuki Tsunoda (RB) and Logan Sargeant (Williams) who will start the race down in P19 and P20 respectively. 

Eliminated:

20 – Logan Sargeant, Williams

19 – Yuki Tsunoda, RB

18 – Lewis Hamilton, Mercerdes

17 – Kevin Magnussen, Haas

16 – Zhou Guanyu, Kick Sauber

Q2

Unlike Q1, when the pit exit light turned green, no one was in a rush to head out. It wasn’t until nearly three minutes had passed before the pit lane sprung into action. 

The session was soon red-flagged with six minutes left on the clock after Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz crashed into the barrier. On the exit of the final corner, Sainz dipped his wheels into the gravel which sent him into a spin across the circuit before he came to a halt at the barrier – facing the wrong way. 

It looked as if the Spaniard was going to be knocked out of qualifying. Fortunately, he managed to get his car moving again and he limped back to the pits for a look-over by his mechanics. 

Q2 resumed shortly after the debris was cleared away and after the barriers were inspected. 

Eliminated: 

15 – Pierre Gasly, Alpine

14 – Alexander Albon, Williams

13 – Esteban Ocon, Alpine

12 – Daniel Ricciardo, RB

11 – Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Q3

When Q3 started, the drivers were straight out on track to secure their banker laps. Once the bankers were secured, Verstappen found himself on provisional pole ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Perez.

At the three-minute mark, the cars were back out on track in a bid to dethrone Verstappen from the top spot. 

However, when the chequered flag was waved, Verstappen improved on his best lap to secure pole position – and Red Bull’s 100th pole. 

Alonso looked to be in position to start alongside but he was quickly demoted by Perez who moved up to second on the grid. The two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed the top five, in 4th and 5th respectively. 

Top 10: 

10 – Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo

9 – Nico Hulkenberg, Haas

8 – George Russell, Mercedes

7 – Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

6 – Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

5 – Oscar Piastri, McLaren

4 – Lando Norris, McLaren

3 – Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

2 – Sergio Perez, Red Bull

1 – Max Verstappen, Red Bull

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Who Finished Where: 2024 Chinese GP Sprint Race
• Verstappen takes the Chinese GP Sprint win ahead of Hamilton and Perez
• Stroll tops sole practice session ahead of Piastri and Verstappen at Chinese GP
• Into the first corner: An F1 return to China for the Chinese Grand Prix
• F1 announce 2025 calendar
• Fernando Alonso signs ‘multi-year’ contract at Aston Martin F1

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