Piastri edges out Russell and Norris for maiden F1 pole at Chinese GP qualifying
McLaren's Oscar Piastri clinched his first-ever Formula 1 pole position in an intense qualifying session for the Chinese Grand Prix. The young Australian driver achieved a best lap time of 1:30.641 in the final moments of Q3, narrowly beating out Mercedes' George Russell by less than one-tenth of a second.
Russell delivered a superb final lap at the checkered flag, securing a spot on the front row just 0.082 seconds behind Piastri. This effort separated the two McLaren drivers, with Lando Norris settling for third after aborting his final Q3 attempt. Norris, who currently leads the championship, couldn't quite match the last-gasp pace of his teammate and Russell.
Reigning four-time World Champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull took the P4 slot, while the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc secured P5 and P6, respectively. Hamilton, who dominated the earlier sprint race, seemed to lose some edge in the afternoon qualifying session after all teams made setup changes.
Racing Bulls' rookie Isack Hadjar put in a notable performance, landing seventh on the grid. Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli struggled with his final lap and ended up eighth, while Yuki Tsunoda in the second Racing Bulls car claimed ninth. Alex Albon of Williams rounded out the top ten qualifiers.
Esteban Ocon delivered his best performance of the year for Haas, missing out on Q3 by just 0.030 seconds to start P11. Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg secured P12, and the two Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll took 13th and 14th. Carlos Sainz continued his adaptation to Williams with a 15th-place finish.
Alpine's Pierre Gasly missed a chance for Q2 by a mere 0.069 seconds, placing 16th. Haas rookie Oliver Bearman and Alpine's Jack Doohan lined up 17th and 18th, respectively. Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber took 19th, while Red Bull's Liam Lawson endured another challenging session, ending in 20th and last place.
Lawson's struggles continue to build pressure, as this marks his third failure to escape Q1 this season. Despite being hampered by an overtaking incident with Gasly at the end of his outlap, Lawson's performance fell short of expectations, showcasing ongoing difficulties in his role alongside Verstappen.
Despite initial struggles during the qualifying rounds, Piastri remained buoyant about his achievement. "In Q3 I just found a lot of pace," he commented. "Q1 and Q2 I was genuinely struggling, and the car just came alive in Q3. I think I came alive in Q3, so I'm happy with what I did at the end."
Reflecting on the track conditions, Piastri added, "The surface we've got is pretty tricky, but when you hook it up, it's pretty mega, so I'll take the fastest lap of Shanghai."
Russell revealed he took a different approach to tire preparation for his final Q3 attempt, which paid off by securing him second place. "I tried something completely different with the tires, and it worked to move past Norris," he remarked.
This thrilling qualifying session sets the stage for what promises to be an electrifying Chinese Grand Prix.
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