After the sprint race of the Chinese Grand Prix, there was a sense of surprise in the air, but the McLaren, which was touted as the favorite before the season, made sure that it wouldn't be that way.
Q1 brought a real colorful spectacle, as the entire field turned around in the top 3 with some exaggeration. McLaren led, followed by Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls, with Lando Norris, Isaac Hadjar, and Yuki Tsunoda finishing this stage at the top. Pierre Gasly, Ollie Bearman, Jack Doohan, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Liam Lawson were neither as fortunate nor as fast, bidding farewell to further battles. The latter driver performed painfully poorly, and his boss only advised him before qualifying to avoid social media...
In Q2, things unfolded similarly to the previous stage; after a brief Mercedes squabble, McLaren quickly seized the initiative and did not let it slip away. Once again, Lando Norris appeared as the fastest ahead of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, while Esteban Ocon, Nico Hülkenberg, Carlos Sainz, and the two Aston Martins found themselves on the list of those eliminated.
After the first fast laps of Q3, we saw the same picture again: the two McLarens at the front, closely followed by Verstappen. At this stage, it was almost clear that the orange team would take the pole position; the only question was which driver would do it in which car. In the end, it was Oscar Piastri who managed to come in first, ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris. The finish was incredibly tight, and we hope these thrills will carry over to tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix!
Photo: Motorsportweek / PlanetF1
