F1 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying Results: Verstappen THWARTED in fire and rain

A wet end to qualifying left the grid for Saturday's Chinese Grand Prix sprint race hopelessly jumbled, with drivers tiptoeing around the Shanghai International Circuit on intermediate tyres to set the order of the top ten.

Lewis Hamilton looked to have taken a stunning pole position when Lando Norris had his fastest lap time deleted, but the lap was dramatically reinstated after the chequered flag fell.

Max Verstappen had two laps deleted for track limit violations thanks to a lack of grip sending him off the circuit, and could only recover to qualify fourth – sharing the second row with Fernando Alonso.

Drivers began to complain of light rain almost as soon as the session began, but it wasn't until the end of SQ2 that drivers began to be seriously affected by the weather.

There was a repeat of the incident which occurred in free practice which saw a fire break out on a grassy area on the circuit. That fire delayed SQ2, pushing the session back into the clutches of the incoming rain.

READ MORE: F1 Chinese Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today from Shanghai

F1 Qualifying Results: Chinese Grand Prix 2024

2. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] - +1.261sec

3. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin] - +1.975sec

4. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] - +2.088sec

5. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari] - +2.274sec

6. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] - +2.435sec

7. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] - TBD

8. Oscar Piastri [McLaren] - +3.050sec

9. Valtteri Bottas [Sauber] - TBD

10. Zhou Guanyu [Sauber] - +5.597sec

ELIMINATED IN Q2

11. George Russell [Mercedes]

12. Kevin Magnussen [Haas]

13. Nico Hulkenberg [Haas]

14. Daniel Ricciardo [VCARB]

15. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin]

ELIMINATED IN Q1

16. Pierre Gasly [Alpine]

17. Esteban Ocon [Alpine]

18. Alex Albon [Williams] 19. Yuki Tsunoda [VCARB]

20. Logan Sargeant [Williams]

How does F1 Sprint Qualifying work?

The shortened qualifying session is split into three finite windows, which provide a dramatic prelude to Saturday's sprint race.

The bottom five drivers are eliminated at the end of SQ1, with a further five eliminated after SQ2.

Then SQ3 gives us a shootout between the remaining 10 drivers in the battle for positions at the front of the grid.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver announcement imminent as team 'offers contract' to F1 star

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