F1 LIVE | Follow the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix: Who can challenge Verstappen?
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Max Verstappen will start the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix from pole position. The Red Bull driver shares the front-row with his teammate Sergio Perez. Fernando Alonso will be pushing hard from P3 on the grid. Can anyone stop Verstappen from winning his fourth race of the season? Follow the liveblog below for all of the important updates during the race at the Shanghai International Circuit.
F1 LIVE | The 2024 Chinese Grand Prix
Max Verstappen was the fastest in qualifying and claimed his fifth pole position of the season. The Dutchman was three-tenths quicker than his teammate Perez. Fernando Alonso also completed a superb lap and finished third, similar to SQ3, a day earlier.
The two McLarens out-qualified the two Ferraris, with Lando Norris finishing fourth ahead of Oscar Piastri. Charles Leclerc finished in P6 and got the better of his teammate Carlos Sainz, who caused a red flag earlier in Q2. Sainz had to wait for his P7 to be confirmed as Aston Martin appealed the decision to allow him to continue in Q2 following the red flag. The stewards dismissed the appeal. George Russell finished eighth ahead of Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas. Lewis Hamilton failed to escape Q1 and will start from 18th on the grid.
The weekend so far
The Chinese GP used the first of six sprint race formats in the 2024 season. This year, the two sprint events preceded qualifying for the Grand Prix, so teams could make changes between the sprint race and qualifying. Once Verstappen moved into clear air in Saturday's sprint race, he zoomed ahead with very quick lap times. However, their rivals made some changes to improve their long runs.
The Dutchman won the sprint race on Saturday morning and has already scored eight points this weekend. Perez worked his way up to the podium, with Hamilton finishing second. Ferrari struggled in qualifying on Saturday, but believe they have opted for a set-up that focuses on the race. However, Leclerc was cautious because he had to perform some overtakes first before getting the benefits.