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Having claimed every pole position so far in the 2024 F1 season, Verstappen looked strong favourite again after topping Q2 of sprint qualifying in the dry.But as rain fell at the Shanghai International Circuit it produced a major unknown given no driver had any wet running at a track F1 had not visited for five years.With multiple drivers slipping off the track in Q3, Verstappen had two lap times …Keep reading
Rain made the already slippery Shanghai surface even more treacherous and Friday afternoon’s final segment of sprint qualifying was peppered with incidents, with world champion Max Verstappen going off twice and Charles Leclerc tapping the wall with his front wing.McLaren driver Norris bagged sprint pole, but not before his lap was briefly deleted. Right before embarking on the lap that would …Keep reading
Norris had his penultimate timed lap deleted for track limits at Turn 16, but his 1m57.940s follow-up ultimately proved unbeatable during a wet and slippery final part of sprint qualifying – which yielded multiple mistakes across the field.This lap was initially chalked off for track limits as well, suspected to be a result of Norris going off at the final corner of the previous lap, but it was …Keep reading
Norris will start ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) after the one-hour qualifying session, which is split into three quickfire segments with five cars each being knocked out in Q1 and Q2 before the top-10 shootout of Q3. Per the new sprint weekend format, these sessions set the grid for Saturday’s sprint and have no impact on Sunday’s main event. Chinese …Keep reading
After every F1 qualifying session, Motorsport.com publishes each team’s qualifying record in terms of team-mate duels.This record is based exclusively on qualifying results so that grid penalties don’t alter the statistics.When a driver can’t put in a representative lap time due to a technical issue or an incident, this will be mentioned in the table.Read Also: Formula 1F1 Chinese GP …Keep reading
Rain emerged at the end of the SQ2 session and continued to pepper the Shanghai circuit during the intermission, necessitating the use of intermediate tyres for the final stage of qualifying to decide pole.Track conditions were evidently very slippery, as a number of drivers over-extended beyond the circuit’s environs and had to recover from the run-off; Charles Leclerc hit the wall after spinning …Keep reading
Ahead of what is expected to be a pretty intense silly season as drivers vie for the best cockpits, Audi has found itself at the centre of the market talk as it looks for the stars that it wants to carry into its debut campaign in 2026.Its approach has become especially intriguing after Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko revealed ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix that his squad found itself …Keep reading
While teams are often reluctant to introduce major development packages for sprint race weekends, because of limited track running, it does not prevent them seeking gains in other ways.And interestingly, in the team submissions lodged with the FIA for this weekend’s race in Shanghai, three outfits have made revisions to the area surrounding the driver and cockpit area. RB F1 Team VCARB 01 …Keep reading
The French manufacturer has fast-tracked an upgraded floor for this weekend’s sprint race in Shanghai aimed at bringing more performance after its difficult start to the year. It will be used by Esteban Ocon exclusively this time out, before both drivers have it for the next race in Miami.But interestingly the revised chassis that the parts are fitted to is not only lighter than the version …Keep reading
The Canadian intervened in the end-of-session series of soft tyre laps to leapfrog Oscar Piastri’s effort moments before the chequered flag, which nobody else had enough time to beat.His surprise appearance at the top of the timesheets rather defined the atypical order locked in at the close of the session, as many teams opted for varying run plans to prepare for the sprint weekend in China.A …Keep reading