Oscar Piastri takes his first Pole Position in the qualifying of the Chinese GP. Previously he had started from the first position only in the sprint race of Qatar in the now distant 2023. The Australian's lap also turned out to be the track record. Behind him a surprising George Russell, followed by a disappointed Lando Norris, who made a mistake during his last attempt. The Ferraris, on the other hand, did not go beyond fifth and sixth position.
Q1: Piastri and Norris the drivers to beat in China, but Racing Bulls are very fast
After the great victory of Lewis Hamilton in the Shanghai Sprint Race, qualifying for Sunday's GP begins. The first to set a useful time were the Sauber drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg currently faster than his teammate Bortoleto. A lead that lasts only a few minutes, because the challenge between McLaren e Ferrari, with Hamilton and Piastri following one another at the top of the standings. Difficulty for Jack Doohan, who ends up spinning between turns nine and ten. Charles Leclerc also continues to show little confidence with the Shanghai circuit and, with eight minutes to go, is travelling in fourteenth position. The Racing Bulls, on the other hand, are proving to be very fast, with Tsunoda and Hadjar firmly in fourth and fifth position.
Norris also had some difficulties after seeing his first attempt cancelled due to track limits, and completed a fairly mediocre lap, with a slight long run in turn six, which however allowed him to move into seventh position with two minutes to go. Verstappen's Red Bull was in the lead almost at the end, while Leclerc continued to fight to get a place in Q2. In the end, the Monegasque managed to set a good time that was good enough for seventh place. But he wasn't the only one to improve. With time running out, Norris took the lead, but behind him on the podium were Hadjar and Tsunoda. Gasly, Bearman, Doohan, Bortoleto and, for the third time in a row, Liam Lawson's Red Bull were eliminated in Q1.
Q2: Norris sets provisional track record
Green light and the second qualifying heat of the Shanghai GP begins. The first to take to the track are Ocon, who for the first time this year survives Q1, and the two Mercedes of Antonelli and Russell. Of these, the English driver proves to be the fastest. In the meantime, the two Ferrari drivers also took to the track, preparing for the first attempt at Q2 with used red tires, with which they manage to classify themselves in sixth and seventh position. Instead, Norris, with new tires, takes first place, setting the track record thanks to an excellent 1:30.787. Also noteworthy is the excellent tenth position of Nico Hulkenberg, a position that he will try to defend for the last five minutes of Q2.
At the end of the second session, the battle to qualify is very tight. The Ferraris are unable to do better than sixth and seventh positions, which are immediately overtaken by Hadjar who qualifies in the top five. Luckily for the reds, Antonelli and Albon remain in ninth and tenth position, while none of the other drivers between eleventh and fifteenth manage to improve. The Racing Bulls confirm their speed, while Ocon, with an excellent eleventh position, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Stroll and Sainz, who still has to gain the right confidence with his Williams, are eliminated.
Q3: Oscar Piastri takes his first pole position. Norris takes a turn
The contenders for pole position are taking to the track. The favourite, it seems, seems to be Lando Norris. The Ferraris, on the other hand, are in more difficulty, with Lewis Hamilton proving to be half a second slower in Q2 than yesterday. The track is certainly more rubberized and, another factor to consider, are the tire pressures changed during the weekend by Pirelli. Instead, the speed of the Racing Bulls team is no longer surprising, as, despite going down with used tires, during the first round of attempts its two drivers managed to classify themselves in seventh and eighth position. After the first times in Q3, McLaren also confirms itself as the car to beat, with Piastri first and Norris, second. They are then followed by the usual Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell and Leclerc, who among the pursuers proves to be the one in the most difficulty.
With three minutes to go, the drivers return to the track to prepare for the final assault on pole position. The first to try to threaten the papaya dominance is Verstappen, who surprises everyone by setting a fuchsia in the first sector. The rest of the lap, however, is not relaxing and he closes in third position, then fourth at the end of qualifying. Lando Norris instead makes a mistake, thus deciding to abort his attempt. Hamilton and Leclerc do not improve, relegating themselves to fifth and sixth position. Instead, George Russell manages to even classify himself in second position, thanks to a brilliant performance. Excellent performance also by Hadjar, who places himself seventh ahead of Antonelli, Tsunoda and Albon.
The pole position is thus for Oscar Piastri, thanks to a great 1:30.641, which also becomes the track record of Shanghai. It is the first career pole for the young Australian driver, who in addition to his talent took advantage of the mistake of his more favored teammate. McLaren, even with a different driver, still proves to be the car to beat. We will see, in tomorrow's race, if the opponents will be able to measure up to the historic English team.
