Chinese Formula One Grand Prix

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Chinese Formula One Grand Prix

Sprint Race Saturday Morning at 04:00am
Race Sunday at 08:00am

Sprint Qualifying
Wet and slippery top ten shoot-out, with Max Verstappen going off track.
Lando Norris was fastest but had time deleted because of track limits. That put Lewis Hamilton on pole. But, , Norris’s time was reinstated.
Fernando Alonso had provisional pole position with just a minute to go. That would have been one for the records.

1) Lando Norris, [McLaren]
2) Lewis Hamilton, [Mercedes]
3) Fernando Alonso, [Aston Martin]
4) Max Verstappen, [Red Bull]
5) Carlos Sainz, [Ferrari]
6) Sergio Perez, [Red Bull]
7) Charles Leclerc, [Ferrari]
8) Oscar Piastri, [McLaren]
9) Valtteri Bottas, [Sauber]
10) Zhou Guanyu, [Sauber]

11) George Russell, [Mercedes]
12) Kevin Magnussen, [Haas]
13) Nico Hulkenberg, [Haas]
14) Daniel Ricciardo, [RB]
15) Lance Stroll, [Aston Martin ]

16) Pierre Gasly, [Alpine]
17) Esteban Ocon, [Alpine]
18) Alex Albon, [Williams]
19) Yuki Tsunoda, [RB]
20) Logan Sargeant, [Williams]


Sprint race and first practice really did set the grass on fire as the sparks from the cars ignited the grass around the track. Caused red flag in practice and kept the marshals busy during the sprint qualifying.

This is the first Chinese Grand Prix since 2019 and it is expected the sprint race will be more a chance to collect data for the main race than a race.

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If you go beyond track limits at the final corner, that lap gets deleted - but the next lap is also deleted because you gain an advantage getting more speed at the start. In Lando Norris's case, it was obvious going over limits he did not gain an advantage and it actually set him up badly for the next lap.

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Lando Norris bad start. Loses lead to Lewis Hamilton.

Lando Norris drops down to seventh.

Poor surface on this track. Cars sliding everywhere, even with the dry conditions.

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Carlos Sainz pressurising Max Verstappen.
This is letting Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso pull away. Only nineteen laps so little time to catch them.

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Lewis Hamilton over a second ahead of Fernando Alonso.
Long time since Hamilton lead a race. He has never led, let alone won, a sprint race since sprint races were introduced.

Little grip on this track. One of the Red Bull strengths is the way it looks after its tyres. On this circuit this is a problem getting the tyres up to temperature.
But, Max Verstappen seems to be getting it together now. He overtakes Fernando Alonso and it seems as Max gets going, Lewis Hamilton seems next.

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Max Verstappen slides down the inside of Lewis Hamilton for the lead.
Took a while for him to get it together but Max Verstappen's confidence is growing now.

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1) Verstappen
2) Hamilton
3) Alonso
4) Sainz
5) Perez

Perez pressuring Sainz and that is helping Alonso stay in third. Can he hold on for a podium?

If Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton can hold on with faster cars behind it will be a good result. Four laps to go.

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Carlos Sainz overtakes Fernando Alonso.

Fernando Alonso pits. Puncture. Probably contact with Carlos Sainz. Defended perhaps a little too hard.

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Chequered Flag.

1. Max Verstappen
2. Lewis Hamilton,
3. Sergio Perez

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1) Max Verstappen, [Red Bull]
2) Lewis Hamilton, [Mercedes]
3) Sergio Perez, [Red Bull]
4) Charles Leclerc, [Ferrari]
5) Carlos Sainz, [Ferrari]
6) Lando Norris, [McLaren]
7) Oscar Piastri, [McLaren]
8) George Russell, [Mercedes]

9) Zhou Guanyu, [Sauber]
10) Kevin Magnussen, [Haas]
11) Daniel Ricciardo, [RB]
12) Valtteri Bottas, [Sauber]
13) Esteban Ocon, [Alpine]
14) Lance Stroll, [Aston Martin ]
15) Pierre Gasly, [Alpine]
16) Yuki Tsunoda, [RB]
17) Alex Albon, [Williams]
18) Logan Sargeant, [Williams]
19) Nico Hulkenberg, [Haas]

Retired) Fernando Alonso