Formula 1 has returned to China and it’s already been a busy weekend in Shanghai.
Lando Norris took out a fascinating Shootout on Friday before Max Verstappen won the first sprint race of the season earlier today.
Who will have pace in qualifying today?
There will also be plenty of attention on Stake F1 Team driver Guanyu Zhou, who is the only local driver on the grid.
The Sporting News will follow qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix, providing live updates and results.
WATCH in US: F1 qualifying with fubo (free trial)
F1 grid, qualifying times for Chinese Grand Prix
The below table will be updated once qualifying has been concluded.
| Position | Driver | Team | Qual. time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | — | — |
| 2 | — | — | — |
| 3 | — | — | — |
| 4 | — | — | — |
| 5 | — | — | — |
| 6 | — | — | — |
| 7 | — | — | — |
| 8 | — | — | — |
| 9 | — | — | — |
| 10 | — | — | — |
| 11 | — | — | — |
| 12 | — | — | — |
| 13 | — | — | — |
| 14 | — | — | — |
| 15 | — | — | — |
| 16 | Zhou Guanyu** | Stake | 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 |
* Eliminated after Q2
** Eliminated after Q1
F1 China: Live updates, highlights from Chinese Grand Prix qualifying
RED FLAG: Sainz is off the track and a red flag has been called. The Ferrari driver goes wide into the gravel on the last corner and spins out. He controls the car nicely, though, and doesn’t suffer any serious damage as he bumps into the barriers.
Racing will hopefully get underway again shortly, with Sainz able to get himself back to the pits for a repair. It’s unclear whether Ferrari will send him back out.
Q2, 7 mins to go: Verstappen is getting nice and comfortable, becoming the first driver in this session to go below 1:34.000. He sits more than half a second ahead of the closest driver, Norris.
Start of Q2
No rush to start this second stage of qualifying, it seems. We’re a few minutes in but everyone is still in their respective garages.
End of Q1
Wow – Hamilton is eliminated! The seven-time world champion is out in Q1 for the first time since Saudi Arabia in 2022. A late lock-up saw him finish P18 in a very disappointing performance for the Mercedes star.
Local favourite Zhou has been cruelly denied a Q2 berth in his home race, finishing less than a hundredth of a second behind Perez in P15. He is joined by Magnussen, Tsunoda and Sargeant.
Another storyline to note is that both Alpine cars have made it safely through. It has been a challenging season for the French team, so this is already a solid result.
Eliminated after Q1:
- Zhou Guanyu
- Kevin Magnussen
- Lewis Hamilton
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Logan Sargeant
Q1, 5 mins to go: Perez is the only driver yet to set a lap time following his run-in with Albon. Norris and Hamilton are the other big names in the bottom five.
Q1, 7 mins to go: Plenty of track evolution as the times keep getting quicker. Piastri goes top now with a 1:35.014.
Q1, 9 mins to go: Perez has to halt his flying lap with Albon in his way. The incident is currently under investigation by race control.
Perez runs wide on a flying lap as he encounters Albon
“What the ****** was that?” says Checo #F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/wFR7Y0YBps
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2024
Q1, 12 mins to go: Russell sets the early pace, but drivers are still easing themselves into this session.
Start of Q1
We’re underway in China!
15 mins to qualifying start: After a wet qualifying session on Friday, the conditions are less unpredictable today. Shanghai is currently dry and cloudy, with a temperature of 23 degrees Celsius.
30 mins to qualifying start: The last pole-sitter in Shanghai? Valtteri Bottas back in 2019. Fair to say the grid has changed a bit since then…
45 mins to qualifying start: In case you missed it, Verstappen took out today’s sprint race. Norris started from pole but ran wide on the opening lap, finishing in P6. Hamilton and Perez rounded out the podium.
Hamilton 🆚 Norris
Brilliant battling from the two Brits at the start 👏#F1Sprint #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/8i8Ij7JhSh
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2024
1 hour to qualifying start: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News‘ live coverage of the Chinese Grand Prix main qualifying session for 2024.
Chinese F1 schedule: What time is qualifying in Shanghai?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | India | |
| Date | Sat. Apr. 20 | Sat. Apr. 20 | Sat. Apr. 20 | Sat. Apr. 20 | Sat. Apr. 20 |
| Time | 8 a.m. BST | 3 a.m. ET | 3 a.m. ET | 5 p.m. AEST | 12:30 p.m. IST |
China F1 schedule: What time is the Chinese Grand Prix race?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | India | |
| Date | Sun. Apr. 21 | Sun. Apr. 21 | Sun. Apr. 21 | Sun. Apr. 21 | Sun. Apr. 21 |
| Time | 8 a.m. BST | 3 a.m. ET | 3 a.m. ET | 5 p.m. AEST | 12:30 p.m. IST |
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