Key events
Preamble
It was an intriguing day of firsts in the Shanghai heat on Saturday. Lewis Hamilton picked up his first win of any kind in Ferrari colours, winning the sprint race – the first Ferrari win in the short format since it was introduced in 2021; then Oscar Piastri picked up his first ever pole, sealing top spot in qualifying ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, who was third and struggling for top speed, despite his Grand Prix win in Australia last week.
Breaking up the McLaren stronghold is another Brit, George Russell, who produced a white-hot final qualifying lap to sit P2. A place on the front row isn’t quite the clean air Piastri will enjoy racing into, but it gives the Mercedes driver a sporting chance. Max Verstappen is fourth with the two Ferraris of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc lurking just behind.
At the back of the grid sits Verstappen’s new Red Bull colleague Liam Lawson, who is struggling to come to terms with his role – by his own admission. It’s a long way back from P20 as the New Zealander may discover today. Let’s see how things pan out.
The race starts at 7am (GMT). Let’s go.