Red Bull double in qualifying for the Chinese GP in Shanghai. The usual Max Verstappen took pole position, the hundredth for the Anglo-Austrian team. The Dutchman, three times world champion, made his fifth consecutive pole start with a time of 1’33″660, ahead of his teammate, the Mexican Sergio Perez (1’33″982) and the Aston Martin Spaniard Fernando Alonso (1’34″148). Followed by the two McLarens of the British Lando Norris (1’34″165) and the Australian Oscar Piastri (1’34″273). Sixth and seventh place for the two Ferraris of the Monegasque Charles Leclerc ( 1’34″289) and the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (1’34″297).
Verstappen dominates the Sprint: Leclerc fourth
Dutch Max Verstappen dominates the sprint race of the Chinese F1 GP, the first of the season. The Red Bull driver prevailed over Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and teammate Sergio Perez on the Shanghai circuit. At the foot of the podium the two Ferraris with fourth place for Charles Leclerc and fifth for Carlos Sainz, who dueled neck and neck in the final laps. Lando Norris’s McLaren is sixth followed by Oscar Piastri’s and Geroge Russell’s Mercedes. Closing out the top ten are the Chinese Zhou Guanyo with Sauber and Kevin Magnussen with Haas.
Verstappen
“After the sprint we got some ideas for the car and the car went even better in qualifying. I’m very happy with how the session went. The car was nice to drive, even in Q3 my last lap was good. I’m happy to have been able to drive here in the dry, the conditions are good and it was a lot of fun”, said Verstappen who added: “Coming out of a race you need a few laps to readjust to qualifying, push harder and find your your points of reference. Then, since it rained yesterday, we had an extra set of tires available. The evolution of the track wasn’t as evident, but that’s fine.”
Perez
“Qualifying was very intense. I risked going out in Q1. I found traffic from a Williams and had to return to the pits, aborting the lap. Then I returned with new, very hot tyres, and I narrowly passed. There it was a big mess. Then in Q2 I found the pace and a better balance and we made good progress”, commented Red Bull driver Perez after 2nd place.
“In the end I lacked something to match Max, but the result is still fantastic. The track has changed a lot and we too have changed to adapt. Tomorrow everything is at stake, we will be able to fight and have a good race with a good pace. I’ll watch with confidence see you tomorrow,” he added
Alonso
“I had a problem in turns 1 and 2 and I even thought about aborting the lap. I may have lost two tenths in two corners, but we didn’t give up and continued to push until the end, setting a good time. I think the car has improved compared to this morning. We have made some changes to the set-up and we hope to be able to transform it into a good haul of points tomorrow”, said Aston Martin driver Alonso for his part.
“You can’t totally change the car, but you can make some set-up adjustments – added the 42-year-old Spaniard – You’re also guessing a bit, thinking about the race and tomorrow we’ll have the answer. I’m proud of the team, we’re not giving up: we’re not still where we want, but we keep pushing. Fans? They are incredible. This is one of the best races of the year. I thank all the fans, they support all the drivers and all the teams”.
