F1 Chinese Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates in Shanghai as Max Verstappen claims Red Bull’s 100th pole

Formula 1 updates from the Shanghai International Circuit as China hosts the first sprint weekend of the season

Fernando Alonso insists Mercedes does 'not feel very attractive' for 2025

Lewis Hamilton’s troubled start to the new season took another desperate twist on Saturday after he qualified a lowly 18th for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Hamilton earlier in the day had led the sprint race in Shanghai for eight laps before he had to settle for runner-up after he was overtaken by eventual winner Max Verstappen.

But less than four hours after Hamilton’s drive to second place - a result he described as his “best in a long time” - the 39-year-old was brought crashing back down to earth when he was eliminated in the opening phase of qualifying for Sunday’s main event.

The seven-time world champion locked up at the penultimate corner on his speediest lap, and he finished in the Q1 knockout zone, leaving only RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Williams’ Logan Sargeant behind him on the grid.

Verstappen beat Hamilton by an impressive 13 seconds in Saturday’s sprint and he raced to a perhaps predictable pole position.

The Dutch driver, who is on course to take his fourth consecutive world championship, saw off team-mate Sergio Perez as Red Bull secured a front-row lockout. It also marked Red Bull’s 100th pole in F1.

Verstappen finished 0.322 seconds clear of Perez, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso third. Lando Norris, who dropped from pole to finish sixth in the sprint race, qualified fourth ahead of Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren.

Charles Leclerc and Sainz finished sixth and seventh respectively for Ferrari, while George Russell could manage only eighth on a poor afternoon for the Silver Arrows.

Follow live coverage of the Chinese Grand Prix with The Independent

F1 Sprint Qualifying LIVE

• Qualifying for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix takes place this morning with the action getting started at 8am BST
• Formula 1 back in China for first time in five years with Lewis Hamilton victorious in 2019
• Verstappen triumphed in Saturday’s sprint race claiming eight points with Hamilton second and Perez third
• Max Verstappen won in Japan during the last race, can he back that win up here?

[20 April 2024 08:03 · Sonia Twigg]

F1 Qualifying LIVE

George Russell is out on track, but Hamilton, Alonso, Verstappen and Perez are among those waiting and biding their time until a bit later in the session.

[20 April 2024 08:02 · Sonia Twigg]

F1 Qualifying LIVE

The risk of rain is believed to be low, but apparently the radar is showing there is some weather around, although not likely to affect Q1

[20 April 2024 08:01 · Sonia Twigg]

F1 Qualifying LIVE

And the teams are out on track and Q1 is underway!

[20 April 2024 08:00 · Sonia Twigg]

F1 Qualifying

Almost every team is queued up in the pit lane ready to go, a lot of teams, if not most of them have changed their set up for qualifying, so they will want the most amount of time to test it.

Apparently there also could be rain affecting some of the later sessions.

[20 April 2024 07:55 · Sonia Twigg]

F1 Qualifying

Qualifying will get underway in just under five minutes.

[20 April 2024 07:52 · Sonia Twigg]

F1 Qualifying

Esteban Ocon has a new floor and a lighter chassis than his teammate Pierre Gasly, and he will be expected to deliver this weekend in China.

[20 April 2024 07:51 · Sonia Twigg]

F1 Qualifying

Fernando Alonso has been found at fault for the clash with Carlos Sainz and he has been given a 10-second time penalty for the sprint race, which he finished last in any way.

He has also picked up three penalty points, which Aston Martin believe was harsh.

[20 April 2024 07:49 · Sonia Twigg]

F1 Qualifying

McLaren are working hard on Oscar Piastri’s car, and a lot of work is going on with the car, the gearbox was out earlier, and just 10 minutes away from qualifying it is lifted with a team of people working on it while the front wing sits at the front of the garage, unattached to the rest of the car.

[20 April 2024 07:48 · Sonia Twigg]

F1 Qualifying

The laser scan is out on Charles Leclerc’s car, which means they have changed the set up for this qualifying, so clearly the Ferrari garage have seen something they’re not happy with and made the snap decision to change ahead of Q3, which should get under way in just over 10 minutes.

[20 April 2024 07:46 · Sonia Twigg]

F1 Qualifying

Now time for a closer look at the circuit, 5.4km and 16 corners will be what drivers have to contend with in the Chinese Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen will undoubtedly be favourite going into qualifying, but it was Lando Norris who started the sprint race earlier in pole position, although his wide line caused him to slip down the places quite quickly.