Day one of the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix – the season’s first Sprint weekend – delivered a mix of surprises and expected performances from all corners of the grid. Free Practice 1 saw Lando Norris set the fastest lap, clocking 1m 31.504s, showing McLaren’s strong pace once again. The session was crucial for setting up for the Sprint and featured early issues for Liam Lawson and Alex Albon. Lewis Hamilton initially led, but George Russell established a strong benchmark. A red flag, caused by Jack Doohan’s power steering problem, disrupted the session.
Qualifying simulations on soft tires saw Norris outpace Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen, however, struggled, finishing 16th after aborting his lap. Nico Hulkenberg’s sixth place for Kick Sauber was a notable highlight, and the session revealed the track’s improved grip and set the stage for a tense Sprint Qualifying.
Sprint Qualifying saw Lewis Hamilton take pole position with a lap time of 1m 30.849s. SQ1, using medium tires, saw Piastri set an early pace, but Hamilton ultimately topped the times. Lawson was eliminated due to track limits, while Tsunoda, Sainz, and Bortoleto narrowly avoided elimination. SQ2 saw Norris lead, but Albon’s impressive lap secured his place in SQ3. Fernando Alonso, Bearman, Sainz, Bortoleto, and Hadjar were eliminated.
SQ3 saw soft tired runs and saw Piastri set a fast initial lap. Hamilton, however, delivered a stunning lap to take pole in the dying minutes, with Verstappen closely behind. Norris struggled, finishing sixth. Hamilton’s unexpected pole position added excitement to the Sprint race, with McLaren and Red Bull close contenders. Join us tomorrow to find out who was triumphant in the first Spirnt race of the 2025 season.