The full F1 starting grid for the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix sprint race at the Shanghai International Circuit on Saturday.
Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton will be leading the running order for the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday morning, as the duo makes history by being the first all-British front row in a sprint race.
The sprint begins at 4 a.m. UK time and will take place over 19 laps, with points awarded from the winner (eight points) down to to eighth place (one).
It comes after a wet and generally chaotic shootout that saw Norris clinch the pole under strange circumstances. The driver appeared to have lost out on pole position after his fastest lap was deleted, but in the final moments of qualifying his time was reinstated.
McLaren has now secured pole position in three of the last four sprint events with Norris taking the lead in Brazil and teammate Oscar Piastri turning pole into victory in Qatar during the final weeks of the previous season.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso will start third ahead of Red Bull’s reigning World Champion Max Verstappen.
Zhou Guanyu thrilled the locals in his first return to his home race by securing 10th place, one spot behind teammate Valtteri Bottas, as Sauber put on their best show yet in the 2024 season.
Following Friday’s single practice session, when sparks from the cars ignited a trackside fire, the same incident happened in the final moments of SQ1, somewhat delaying the start of SQ2.
The big name that got dropped in the second leg of sprint qualifying was Mercedes’ George Russell, who was caught off guard by a mid-session rain shower and could only achieve 11th place.
Full starting grid for the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint
| Row 1 | 1. (4) Lando Norris 1’57.940 McLaren-Mercedes MCL38 | |
| 2. (44) Lewis Hamilton 1’59.201 Mercedes W15 | ||
| Row 2 | 3. (14) Fernando Alonso 1’59.915 Aston Martin-Mercedes AMR24 | |
| 4. (1) Max Verstappen 2’00.028 Red Bull-Honda RBPT RB20 | ||
| Row 3 | 5. (55) Carlos Sainz Jnr 2’00.214 Ferrari SF-24 | |
| 6. (11) Sergio Perez 2’00.375 Red Bull-Honda RBPT RB20 | ||
| Row 4 | 7. (16) Charles Leclerc 2’00.566 Ferrari SF-24 | |
| 8. (81) Oscar Piastri 2’00.990 McLaren-Mercedes MCL38 | ||
| Row 5 | 9. (77) Valtteri Bottas 2’01.044 Sauber-Ferrari C44 | |
| 10. (24) Zhou Guanyu 2’03.537 Sauber-Ferrari C44 | ||
| Row 6 | 11. (63) George Russell 1’36.345 Mercedes W15 | |
| 12. (20) Kevin Magnussen 1’36.473 Haas-Ferrari VF-24 | ||
| Row 7 | 13. (27) Nico Hulkenberg 1’36.478 Haas-Ferrari VF-24 | |
| 14. (3) Daniel Ricciardo 1’36.553 RB-Honda RBPT 01 | ||
| Row 8 | 15. (18) Lance Stroll 1’36.677 Aston Martin-Mercedes AMR24 | |
| 16. (10) Pierre Gasly 1’37.632 Alpine-Renault A524 | ||
| Row 9 | 17. (31) Esteban Ocon 1’37.720 Alpine-Renault A524 | |
| 18. (23) Alexander Albon 1’37.812 Williams-Mercedes FW46 | ||
| Row 10 | 19. (22) Yuki Tsunoda 1’37.892 RB-Honda RBPT 01 | |
| 20. (2) Logan Sargeant 1’37.923 Williams-Mercedes FW46 |
