Chinese GP - Qualifying

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Lenovo Chinese GP

Qualifying 

April 20, 2024

Max Verstappen secured a commanding pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix, with Sergio Perez finishing second and Fernando Alonso taking third place.

Verstappen's impressive performance marked his sixth consecutive pole position and his fifth out of five this season, outpacing Perez by 0.3s.

Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin continued his excellent form by clinching third place, ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from McLaren. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz from Ferrari settled for sixth and seventh places respectively.

Alonso commented following the session:"We didn't give up, we kept pushing all the way through the lap and I set a good lap time, I think the car did improve since this morning. We made a few set-up changes, let's see tomorrow if we can translate that into points."

Red Bull has achieved a one-two finish in three out of the four races held this year and is aiming to replicate this success on Sunday.

During Q2, the session was temporarily halted due to Sainz's incident at the final corner where he went off track and damaged his front wing. However, he managed to get back on track once the session resumed.

Sainz mentioned: "It was not easy at all, I had a big moment there, right in the last moment I managed to crash in the right angle, I turned the wheel a bit to make sure I didn't crash straight with the rear tyre and a bit more sideways, this probably saved the day.

"I had a high heart rate and adrenaline, but I managed to put together a very strong lap later in Q2 and recover well from that moment."

Later on Saturday, Aston Martin filed a complaint with the stewards regarding Sainz's continued involvement in the session, based on a regulation that prohibits a driver who causes a session stoppage from further participation. However, after an investigation, the protest was rejected.

The sprint race held prior to the grand prix qualifying showcased Verstappen and Red Bull's outstanding speed.

Although Verstappen began the race in fourth position, he swiftly overtook his competitors and went on to secure a comfortable victory with a 13-second lead.

In Sunday's main race, the Dutch driver aims to replicate his performance.

He said: "I think after the sprint race it gave us a few more ideas about the car and I think the car worked even better in qualifying now, so definitely very happy with how qualifying went, the car was really nice to drive.

"That final lap in Q3 felt really decent and also very happy to drive here as well in the dry, the conditions were pretty good and it was a lot of fun."

The most surprising development of the session was Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, being eliminated in the first qualifying session, Q1.

This represented a significant change in luck for Hamilton, who had qualified second for the sprint event.

In an interview with Sky Sports after qualifying, he explained, "We [George Russell & Hamilton] were trying to experiment still with the car, so I went one way and he went the other way -- that's what we need to do at the moment -- and yeah, it didn't work.

"18th is pretty bad. When I was making the set up changes I thought, 'it can't get any worse, surely' and it did so s--- happens."

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Chinese GP 2024 Qualifying Result

Disqualified from Q1

16. Zhou Guanyu, Sauber (1:35.505)

17. Kevin Magnussen, Haas (1:35.516)

18. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (1:35.573)

19. Yuki Tsunoda, RB (1:35.746)

20. Logan Sargeant, Williams (1:36.358)

Disqualified from Q2

11. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin (1:34.838)

12. Daniel Ricciardo, RB (1:34.934)

13. Esteban Ocon, Alpine (1:35.223)

14. Alexander Albon, Williams (1:35.241)

15. Pierre Gasly, Alpine (1:35.463)

Top 10 Qualifying from Chinese 2024

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull (1:33.660)

2. Sergio Pérez, Red Bull (1:33.982)

3. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (1:34.148)

4. Lando Norris, McLaren (1:34.165)

5. Oscar Piastri, McLaren (1:34.273)

6. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (1:34.289)

7. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (1:34.297)

8. George Russell, Mercedes (1:34.433)

9. Nico Hülkenberg, Haas (1:34.604)

10. Valtteri Bottas (1:34.665)