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McLaren driver Lando Norris took an excellent pole position in the first Sprint Qualifying session of the season at the 2024 Chinese GP in treacherous conditions on Friday.
It was arguably one of the most dramatic sessions of the season at the Sprint qualifying at the Chinese GP as the threat of rain meant that we have got a mixed grid for the Sprint race tomorrow.
The race control initially deleted the young British driver's fastest lap time 1:57:940 but got it reinstated in the dying moments of the session as he finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton by over a second.
The Kick Sauber pair of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu were the surprise package of the session as both finished inside the top 10. The Mercedes driver Goerge Russell had a session to forget as he missed out on the SQ3, finishing in P11 just a few milliseconds behind Zhou.
The rain ultimately caught the Brit out as he attempted one final try but his teammate Lewis Hamilton had a better time finishing on the front row, showing his prowess in the changeable conditions.
Below is the complete result of the Sprint Qualifying session at the 2024 Chinese GP:
1 Lando Norris
2 Lewis Hamilton
3 Fernando Alonso
5 Carlos Sainz
6 Sergio Perez
7 Charles Leclerc
8 Oscar Piastri
9 Valtetri Bottas
10 Zhou Guanyu
11 George Russell
12 Kevin Magnussen
13 Nico Hulkenberg
14 Daniel Ricciardo
15 Lance Stroll
16 Pierre Gasly
17 Esteban Ocon
18 Alex Albon
19 Yuki Tsunoda
20 Logan Sargeant
Lando Norris chimes in on his Sprint Qualifying pole position at the Chinese GP
McLaren driver Lando Norris stated that he is delighted with his pole position in the Sprint Qualifying session in the wet conditions in Shanghai.
As per Sky Sports F1, the McLaren driver said:
"I'm extremely happy. Big thanks to the whole team. It was tricky. You are always nervous going into a Qualifying like this, especially when you almost know it's going to rain.
"The conditions, you just have to risk a lot and push to build tyre temperature. I was quick but just kept catching the Ferraris, so had to keep backing off so I didn't do the first two laps well but I did a good final one. I'm happy. Sad it's not for a proper Qualifying, but it's good enough."
It would be fascinating to see if he could win his first Sprint race at the Chinese GP tomorrow and stand on the top step.
