Chinese GP 2024
APRIL 20, 2024
Qualifying Report - Verstappen secures 100th Pole in Red Bull 1-2
© Red Bull
Max Verstappen secured Red Bull Racing's 100th Formula 1 pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix qualifying, clocking in at 1m33.660s. This time put him 0.3 seconds ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez to secure a Red Bull 1-2 starting grid, pushing Fernando Alonso to the second row.
Fernando Alonso initially held the second spot after the first qualifying runs, but the field saw multiple changes in the front row contenders. Carlos Sainz, despite a crash in Q2 that caused a red flag, made a strong recovery and initially placed second before being overtaken by his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, and subsequently by other drivers including Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Alonso briefly regained second, but was ultimately pushed down by Perez's late improvement.
The final top ten on the grid for the race are rounded out by Piastri and Leclerc in the third row, Sainz and George Russell in the fourth, and Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas completing the top ten.
Q1 was marked by the notable exit of Lewis Hamilton's after failing to capitalize on a last attempt due to a lockup, and similarly disappointing outcomes for Yuki Tsunoda.