Verstappen secures pole position for Chinese Grand Prix, leading Perez and Alonso
SHANGHAI, China — Max Verstappen has solidified his reign of dominance by clinching a commanding pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix, marking Red Bull's historic 100th pole.
The Dutch driver set the benchmark early at the Shanghai International Circuit and further improved his time in Q3, clocking an unbeatable 1m 33.660s. The battle for the second position was intense, but Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Perez, secured P2.
Fernando Alonso displayed an impressive performance, positioning his Aston Martin in third place. McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri followed closely behind in fourth and fifth, with Charles Leclerc completing the top six.
Carlos Sainz overcame an earlier Q2 mishap, where he spun into the barriers causing a red flag, to finish in seventh. George Russell emerged as the leading Mercedes driver in eighth place, with Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas rounding out the top ten.
Read next ❯ Ferrari to reveal Hamilton's debut F1 car on February 19 at MaranelloLance Stroll, driving for Aston Martin, was knocked out in Q2, finishing in P11 after Bottas' late improvement. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo shared a similar fate, concluding the session in P12.
The Alpine duo, despite making it into Q2 for the first time this season, ended up in P13 for Esteban Ocon and P15 for Pierre Gasly, with Williams' Alex Albon sandwiched between them in P14.
A major surprise unfolded in Q1 when Lewis Hamilton found himself in the drop zone, wrapping up the session in a disappointing P18. Zhou Guanyu also faced an early exit in P16, struggling for traction in front of eager home fans.
Haas' Kevin Magnussen failed to progress past Q1, placing in P17, while Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda had a disappointing run, finishing in P19. Logan Sargeant rounded out the grid in P20 for Williams.
