China - Sprint Qualifying

The second race weekend of the season is also the first one to include two additional sessions: the sprint and sprint qualifying. The latter takes place on a Friday, replacing what would normally be FP2. Its structure is the same as that of regular qualifying, with the only difference being the shorter times. SQ1, SQ2, and SQ3 are 12, 10, and 8 minutes respectively. Because of that, the whole session lasts 45 minutes, instead of the regular hour.

With no time to spare, the cars were quick to appear on the circuit. Ferraris and McLarens looked strong from the very beginning of the session, constantly hovering along the top places, with occasional visits from drivers like Alonso or Antonelli. Things were looking grim for Haas, who had both drivers at the very bottom of the standing. Thankfully for them, before SQ1 finished, Bearman managed to escape the elimination zone. He wasn't the only rookie who took their qualifying a step further than his teammate. Bortoleto was the only Kick Sauber to move on to the next session. Lawson fell away from Verstappen once again, eliminated in the first session for the second time this season. The bottom five also included both Alpines, albeit with Doohan doing better than his older teammate. Although there were some outliers, China was looking quite good for the rookies. 

The McLarens kept their form in SQ2, while the Ferraris seemed to struggle a bit more. It wasn't enough to make them worry about ending their day early, but it was enough to put them closer to the second or third, rather than the front row. With how short the session was, some drivers decided to only go for one flying lap. The risky strategy didn't pay off for Hadjar, who had a moment at the very beginning of his attempt and had to abandon it, ending the session in P15 and without a time on the board. Alonso, Bearman, Sainz, and Bortoleto joined him in the elimination zone. 

All the previous laps were set on the medium tires but SQ3 saw the return of the red soft. Some drivers decided to go out early and give themselves more than one shot at a good time, while others stayed back and went for the same riskier strategy we saw in SQ2. The McLarens started off well, with Piastri, once again, being the better one of the two. Russell also got himself in the mix at the front. But the Ferraris were desperate to prove that when they said that Melbourne was only the outlier, and that the car was much better than people thought, they weren't lying. And prove it they did, with Hamilton taking the first sprint pole of the season. His teammate, Leclerc, finished the session in 4th, behind Verstappen, and Piastri. The pole favorite, Norris, will begin the sprint from the 3rd row, as will Mercedes' Russell.

Just like that, the grid was set for tomorrow's race. Although it is only 19 laps long, it can still provide ample excitement. Will it see Hamilton celebrating in red for the first time? 

Order of the grid:

1. Lewis Hamilton

2. Max Verstappen

3. Oscar Piastri

4. Charles Leclerc

5. George Russell

6. Lando Norris

7. Kimi Antonelli

8. Yuki Tsunoda

9. Alex Albon

10. Lance Stroll

11. Fernando Alonso

12. Oliver Bearman

13. Carlos Sainz

14. Gabriel Bortoleto

15. Isac Hadjar

16. Jack Doohan

17. Pierre Gasly

18. Esteban Ocon

19. Nico Hulkenberg

20. Liam Lawson