After the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix, there was a sense of surprise in the air, but McLaren, who had been touted as the pre-season favorite, made sure that wasn't the case.
Q1 brought a real spectacle of color, as, with a bit of hype, the entire grid turned upside down in the top three. McLaren, Red Bull Racing, Racing Bulls led, and finally Lando Norris, Isaac Hadjar, and Yuki Tsunoda closed out the stage on top. Pierre Gasly, Ollie Bearman, Jack Doohan, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Liam Lawson didn't have the same luck or speed, bowing out of the fight. The latter driver performed painfully poorly, and his boss gave him only one piece of advice before qualifying: avoid social media...
In Q2, things played out similarly to the previous phase; after a brief clash between Mercedes, McLaren quickly took the lead and didn't let go. Once again, Lando Norris emerged fastest ahead of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, while those who dropped out included Esteban Ocon, Nico Hülkenberg, Carlos Sainz, and both Aston Martin drivers.
After the first few fast laps of Q3, we saw the same picture again: the two McLarens were at the top, closely followed by Verstappen. At this stage, it was almost clear that the orange team would take pole position; the only question remaining was which driver would do so and with which car. Ultimately, Oscar Piastri managed to get in first, beating George Russell and Lando Norris. The finish was extremely close; we hope this excitement continues for tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix!
Photo: Motorsportweek / PlanetF1
