Piastri takes pole in Shanghai: his first F1 pole

Oscar Piastri takes pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix with a stunning time of 1:30.641, setting a new track record and securing his first career Formula 1 pole. George Russell will start from second place, while Lando Norris completes the top three on the starting grid.

Photo: Mclaren

During the first phase of qualifying, the first drivers to be eliminated were Pierre Gasly, Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Liam Lawson. The Red Bull driver continues his difficult start to the season, as he continues to finish at the back of the grid, while his teammate regularly remains in the top five.

During the second part of qualifying, the eliminated drivers were Esteban Ocon, Nico Hülkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, and Carlos Sainz. Despite his elimination, Ocon managed to extract a better performance from the Haas team, which had had a difficult start to the season. Meanwhile, Hülkenberg, driving a Sauber, surprised everyone by qualifying ahead of the Aston Martins, which had shown great single-lap pace in previous sessions.

In this phase of qualifying, McLaren once again demonstrated its dominance after two difficult sessions in qualifying for the sprint race and the sprint itself. For qualifying for the main race, the team returned to its best form, securing positions on the front row. Oscar Piastri took pole position with a time of 1:30.641, setting a new track record and achieving his first pole position in Formula 1. His teammate, Lando Norris, finished in third place after making a small mistake that prevented him from securing a 1-2 for McLaren.

George Russell managed to squeeze between the McLarens, securing second place with a time just 0.082 seconds slower than Oscar Piastri. On the other hand, Max Verstappen, despite showing great performance in the Red Bull over the weekend, had a more difficult qualifying session due to issues with tire degradation and the car's pace. Even so, the four-time Formula 1 champion will start from the second row alongside Lando Norris.

The Ferraris were the surprise drivers, but not in the best way. After a great victory in the sprint race, they only managed to secure fifth and sixth positions on the grid for the main race. Charles Leclerc, who has yet to fully find his footing in the car, couldn't hope for more, while Lewis Hamilton, despite showing improved pace compared to previous sessions, also faced difficulties that prevented him from fighting for the top positions.

On the other hand, there were pleasant surprises in qualifying. Both Racing Bulls drivers stood out again, showing great single-lap performance. Isack Hadjar achieved an impressive seventh place, beating a Mercedes and his own teammate. The rookie looked very comfortable in the car, confirming the team's strong performance in qualifying.

His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, also demonstrated the Racing Bulls' speed, securing ninth place, just behind Kimi Antonelli. The young Mercedes driver struggled on his final flying lap, but still managed to stay within the top 10.

Rounding out the top 10 is Alex Albon, the Williams driver who has shown great performance at the start of the season. Albon overtook his teammate, Carlos Sainz, who has yet to fully adapt to the new car. With a strong starting position, Albon has a good chance of scoring points for the team again in tomorrow's race.

Top 10 for tomorrow's race

Piastri

Russell

Norris

Verstappen

Hamilton

Leclerc

Hadjar

Antonelli

Tsunoda

Albon