F1 Chinese GP live commentary and updates - qualifying
Live updates from qualifying for F1's Chinese Grand Prix
Live Standings
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Piastri: "I'm glad it looked [hooked up] because it didn't feel like it! The car came alive in Q3, I came alive in Q3, happy with what I did. I'm just pumped to be on pole. It's a lot of fun with the new surface, the only thing is when you lose grip, it bites..."
Russell: "It feels incredible to be honest, one of the hardest quali sessions I've done in a long time. I did all sorts of things with tyre preparation and nothing worked, so I tried something completely different on the last one. I'm buzzing and looking forward to tomorrow."
Norris: "I'm always disappointed if I'm not on pole, but Oscar deserves it - happy for him and his first pole. The car was feeling better and I'm more comfortable, so it's a step in the right direction. I don't doubt it's the quickest car, it's just a bit feisty at times..."
Q3 order
1. Piastri
2. Russell
3. Norris
4. Verstappen
5. Hamilton
6. Leclerc
7. Hadjar
8. Antonelli
9. Tsunoda
10. Albon
Russell splits the McLarens to join Piastri on the front row, while Tsunoda also bails on his qualifying lap.
Norris bails on his Q3 lap, as Verstappen can't improve - Piastri sets a 1m30.641s to claim his first F1 grand prix pole position!
Hadjar was seemingly released into the path of Verstappen in the pitlane. In any case, the final laps of Q3 are about to begin...
Antonelli had his lap deleted for track limits, but he was 10th fastest anyway so it makes minimal difference. The Italian can have another go, as he should have another set of softs available.
After the opening runs of Q3, our order is: 1. Piastri, 2. Norris, 3. Verstappen, 4. Hamilton, 5. Russell, 6. Leclerc, 7. Hadjar, 8. Tsunoda, 9. Albon, 10. Antonelli.
Piastri posts a 1m30.703s, and Norris just about gets within a tenth of his team-mate. Hamilton is currently fourth, just 0.002s behind Verstappen.
It's a 1m30.925s for Verstappen - Dolly Parton's favourite time in the 1m30s.
Q3 is open for business, and Russell puts a move on Verstappen on the pit exit. He'd probably say something like "Max is dilly-dallying" or something else, in his old-timey Mr Burns language. I'm sure you'll tell him which pedal is the velocitator and which one is the deceleratrix, hmm?
Progressing to Q3
1. Norris
2. Verstappen
3. Piastri
4. Hadjar
5. Tsunoda
6. Russell
7. Leclerc
8. Hamilton
9. Antonelli
10. Albon
Eliminated in Q2
11. Ocon
12. Hulkenberg
13. Alonso
14. Stroll
15. Sainz
...but Antonelli remains safe, as nobody else is able to improve - Sainz couldn't move his Williams any further up the order.
Hadjar breaks free of the bottom five and gets into fourth - and this looks to have eliminated Ocon. Antonelli only stays ninth for now...
Norris, with his 0.413 second gap to second, is the only driver who looks safe - and he's not going out for these final runs. Antonelli says his "brake magic" button is stuck - that's the Mercedes' quick brake bias adjuster system.
Our bottom five after the first set of runs is Stroll, Ocon, Hadjar, Alonso, and Sainz.
Verstappen goes third, and Hulkenberg makes sure everyone's got a lap in as he goes 10th. After being outqualified by Bortoleto in Australia and yesterday's sprint qualifying, the German's got some fire in his belly.
Tsunoda splits the Mercedes duo, while the two McLarens sweep to the top - Piastri does a 1m31.200s, Norris with a 1m30.787s.
Russell's going to kick us off with a lap - he was a bit irked by a "we need this lap" call in Q1 earlier on. It's a 1m31.307s to go fastest so far, Antonelli just 0.283s behind.
Q2 is now up and running - it's time to find out who's going to occupy our top 10 shoot-out for pole.
As someone trying to achieve the worst possible score in this year's Fantasy F1, I feel vindicated in trading Hulkenberg for Lawson this week.
Hadjar went second fastest at the end of that session, an impressive display from the French rookie. Sainz and Ocon also resisted the pressure to pull themselves out of the drop zone at the last minute.
Eliminated in Q1
16. Gasly
17. Bearman
18. Doohan
19. Bortoleto
20. Lawson
Tsunoda goes fastest with a 1m31.238s, before Norris throws in a 1m30.983s!
It might be touch-and-go for a couple of drivers as they try to get a lap in. Verstappen stays in the garage.
With three minutes to go, our bottom five is Ocon, Gasly, Sainz, Lawson, Doohan. Just 1.087s separates the field, so everyone's going to have to go again, surely?
Everyone has a time on the board; Norris and Leclerc couldn't get too much of a tune out of their cars and are currently seventh and 13th. Antonelli has gone third fastest.
A flurry of changes with new sets of softs being rolled out; Tsunoda and Hadjar get into the top five for the time being, as Albon, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Russell, and Bortoleto also occupy the top 10...at least, until Bearman vaults into seventh.
It's a 1m31.424s for Verstappen, who now moves to the top of the pile.
Norris' time has been deleted, and we have the two Mercedes drivers in third and fourth now. Behind that, most have gone for their opening laps on a used set of soft tyres, so the times are a bit all over the place at this stage.
Norris got into the high 1m32s, but Piastri sets a 1m31.591s after Hamilton briefly went quickest with a 1m31.690s. Doohan suffered a spin at Turn 9 in the meantime.
Hulkenberg and Bortoleto kick us off with Q1 laps - the German sets a 1m32.677s, the Brazilian just 0.3s behind. Bearman splits the two Saubers afterwards.
Q1 is officially open for business, and there's lots of takers for the early running...
This is your five-minute klaxon to the start of qualifying.
Tyre graining proved to be the biggest bugbear of the morning - and it appeared everyone had to contend with it at some point over the 19 laps. Luckily, parc ferme is open until the start of qualifying to implement any fixes.
Lewis Hamilton held his nerve - and tyres - from sprint pole to win today's shortened race. Can he go one better and win this weekend's full-length affair?
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Bryn Lennon - Formula 1
By: Autosport Staff
