Lando Norris Secures Pole Position for Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton and Alonso Round Out Top Three

Lando Norris of McLaren secured pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit, with Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin qualifying second and third, respectively. Norris had a strong performance in the wet final part of Sprint qualifying, taking pole position from Hamilton by a full 1.261 seconds.

The qualifying session was described as "wet and chaotic" by Norris, who said it was "good fun" and a "nice surprise" to claim pole position. "It was very tricky, especially with the rain at the end. It made it a lot more difficult," Norris reflected on his "surprising" pole position, noting the difficulty of maintaining tyre temperature and managing the challenging conditions.

Charles Leclerc had a heart-stopping moment when he aquaplaned, while Max Verstappen also struggled with grip, leading to several deleted lap times. The final moments of the session were tense, with times being deleted and reinstated before Norris' pole position was confirmed.

Why this matters: The Chinese Grand Prix marks the return of Formula One racing to China for the first time since 2019. Norris' pole position sets the stage for an exciting sprint race and main event, as drivers navigate the challenging conditions at the Shanghai International Circuit.

At the start of the Sprint race, Hamilton had a strong getaway and the two drivers ran side-by-side into the first turn, with Norris slipping off the track and dropping down to P7. Norris would eventually finish P6 and score three points, but it was not the result he had been hoping for. The McLaren driver admitted that he "just lost it" and that his car's pace was "pretty poor" during the Sprint race. Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the Sprint race, with Hamilton finishing second and Sergio Perez of Red Bull third.

Key Takeaways

• Lando Norris of McLaren secured pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix.
• Qualifying was "wet and chaotic" with several drivers struggling with grip.
• Norris had a "surprising" pole position but struggled in the Sprint race, finishing 6th.
• Max Verstappen won the Sprint race, with Hamilton and Perez finishing 2nd and 3rd.
• The Chinese Grand Prix marks the return of F1 racing to China since 2019.