Formula 1

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz suffered a dramatic crash during Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session at the Shanghai International Circuit, bringing out the red flags in the process.

1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), 2 – Sergio PÉREZ (Red Bull Racing), 3 – Fernando ALONSO (Aston Martin)

Fernando Alonso was thrilled to claim P3 on the grid during qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, with the Spaniard bouncing back from a disappointing outcome to his Sprint race earlier in the day.

Proof that Formula 1 can be a game of snakes and ladders came in the form of Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying performance for the Chinese Grand Prix, with the Mercedes driver getting knocked out in Q1 – having led the Sprint this morning.

Max Verstappen followed up his Sprint victory with pole for the Grand Prix, capping a dream day for the Dutchman. He is sharing the front row with his team mate tomorrow, while Fernando Alonso and Lande Norris are the two on the second row tasked with chasing down those Bulls. Here are all the best facts and stats from a frantic Qualifying in Shanghai…

Max Verstappen made it five pole positions in a row in 2024 – and the 100th for his Red Bull team in F1 – by topping Chinese Grand Prix qualifying, emerging with the best time at the end of a session that featured a dramatic crash for Carlos Sainz.

Max Verstappen was the man in form at the Shanghai International Circuit on Saturday as he swept to victory in the Sprint race before securing pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix with an emphatic qualifying display.

Max Verstappen has continued his strong run of form after clinching a dominant pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix, taking Red Bull’s 100th pole in their history.

Live coverage of Saturday's qualifying session for the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

The closing laps of the Shanghai Sprint saw the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz battling hard – with Leclerc left feeling that his team mate had been “over the limit” in his dealings with him.

Max Verstappen emerged as the class of the field during Saturday’s Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix, beating Lewis Hamilton to victory in a dramatic encounter at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Lap 16 of 19 of the Shanghai Sprint witnessed a fascinating battle between the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso for third place – with an unlikely driver coming out on top in the scrap…

Lewis Hamilton described himself as “super, super happy” after he followed Max Verstappen home to record a breakthrough podium for Mercedes during Saturday’s Sprint race at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Max Verstappen stormed from fourth on the grid to take an impressive victory in the first F1 Sprint of 2024, amid a dramatic battle for P3 in China that saw his team mate Sergio Perez prevail.

Lando Norris’s hopes of scoring his first F1 win in any format disappeared in the Shanghai Sprint, with the McLaren driver dropping from pole position to P7 by the end of the first lap.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen returned to the top of the pecking order during Saturday’s Sprint race at the Shanghai International Circuit as he turned his low-key P4 starting position into a commanding victory.

In dry conditions – compared to the squall that appeared in the final part of Sprint Qualifying on Friday afternoon – Lando Norris led the field away from pole position for the Shanghai Sprint… but his lead wouldn’t last long.

Live coverage of Saturday's F1 Sprint ahead of the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

Taming the insane speed of an F1 car takes extraordinary skill and incredible technology. The brakes glow red hot. The drivers feel huge G-forces. How do F1 braking systems work, and how do drivers cope every time they slam their left foot into the pedal?

A sprinkling of the wet stuff turned qualifying for the Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix into a thriller, with Lando Norris taking a superb pole for McLaren with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton completing an unusual front row.