Piastri edges out Russell and Norris for breakthrough maiden F1 pole during Chinese GP Qualifying

Oscar Piastri narrowly got the better of Mercedes rival George Russell and McLaren team mate Lando Norris during Qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, securing his first-ever Formula 1 pole position in the process.

Piastri delivered a time of 1m 30.703s on the opening runs of the decisive pole shootout and improved to a 1m 30.641s with his second effort, giving him P1 over Russell by just under one tenth of a second.

Russell found a chunk of lap time with his final lap to the chequered flag, brilliantly securing a spot on the front row of the grid alongside Piastri, and leaving championship leader Norris to settle for third position.

Reigning four-time World Champion Max Verstappen took fourth, with the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc this time winding up in P5 and P6 respectively – the Briton unable to repeat his Sprint heroics.

Racing Bulls starred throughout Qualifying, with Isack Hadjar achieving a fine seventh on the grid and team mate Yuki Tsunoda placing ninth, around the other Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, as Williams’ Alex Albon completed the top 10 places.

Haas driver Esteban Ocon enjoyed a much stronger outing to reach Q2 and earn 11th on the grid, while Melbourne points scorer Nico Hulkenberg put his Kick Sauber 12th over the Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

Carlos Sainz could not quite match the pace of team mate Albon as he dropped out of the second phase in 15th position, the Spaniard still trying to build up confidence in the Williams challenger following his switch from Ferrari.

As per Sprint Qualifying, Alpine lost both cars at the Q1 hurdle, with Pierre Gasly falling agonisingly short of Q2 in 16th and Jack Doohan taking 18th after a mistake on his final lap – the team mates sandwiching Haas rookie Ollie Bearman.

Gabriel Bortoleto was 19th in the second of the Sauber machines, while Liam Lawson endured another tough session as he ended 20th and last on the Qualifying timesheets – the RB21 proving to be a tricky beast for him to tame.

AS IT HAPPENED

Q1 – Norris fastest, Lawson out early again

After a thrilling Sprint Qualifying session, and Hamilton’s impressive pole-to-victory conversion in the Sprint itself, attention in the paddock soon turned to Saturday’s main Qualifying hour, which would set the grid for the Chinese Grand Prix.

With tyre compounds no longer mandated, unlike the Sprint regulations earlier in the weekend, all 20 drivers headed out on the red-marked soft tyres for the opening Q1 phase – 18 minutes on the clock to put laps in and secure places in Q2.

As the first flying laps arrived, Piastri held P1 on a 1m 31.591s, ahead of Hamilton, Russell and Antonelli, while Norris, Tsunoda and Doohan (who suffered an early spin in the middle sector) all lost lap times for exceeding track limits.

Putting his first lap in slightly later, Verstappen subsequently moved to the top of the list with a 1m 31.424s, but Leclerc’s hopes of doing the same were ended by a moment on his opening run – meaning he had to wind himself up and go again.

Strong laps from the Racing Bulls saw Tsunoda and Hadjar move into high-flying P4 and P5 positions, with Albon and Bearman similarly impressive in sixth and seventh respectively for Williams and Haas, and both Kick Saubers showing early top 10 pace.

Norris was the final driver to get a lap on the board after his tricky start, going seventh behind the Racing Bulls machines, around half a second slower than Verstappen’s benchmark, with Leclerc only 13th and under pressure for his final run to the chequered flag.

While replays showed Hamilton wrestling his Ferrari through the first corner ahead of the anticipated mad dash to the finish, Ocon, Gasly, Sainz, Lawson and Doohan were the drivers in the drop zone – the Red Bull newcomer at serious risk of another early exit.

READ MORE: ‘It’s just not good enough’ – Lawson frustrated at back-of-the-grid Chinese GP Qualifying as Red Bull struggles continue

“Just so it is clear, we do need this next lap,” came the message from the Mercedes pit wall to Russell, who sat 10th with a 1m 32s flat, only a tenth or so above the drop zone – highlighting the importance of the final runs as drivers bolted on fresh softs.

While Verstappen watched on from the pits, a timing screen full of green and purple sector times ended with a much-improved Norris in P1 over the starring Hadjar and Tsunoda, Russell and the Dutchman himself.

There were no shocks to report at the other end of the order, with Gasly narrowly missing out on a Q2 spot to Stroll in P16, followed by Bearman, team mate Doohan (via a late mistake), Bortoleto and Lawson, whose challenges since earning promotion continued.

Knocked out: Gasly, Bearman, Doohan, Bortoleto, Lawson

Q2 – Norris lays down a marker

After a short break, the remaining 15 drivers returned to the track and kicked off their efforts to reach the pole position shootout. Norris stated his intentions from the outset by pumping in a 1m 30.787s – around half a second clear of team mate Piastri.

Verstappen moved into a solid third, from Russell, Tsunoda and Antonelli, while the Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc were slightly lower down the order in P7 and P8 – sandwiching Albon’s Williams – and Hulkenberg held the final, coveted Q3 position.

That meant Stroll, Ocon, Hadjar, Alonso and Sainz were the drivers at risk as another round of non-stop improvements ensued – even if there was some drama for Antonelli, who reported over the radio that “the magic is stuck” on his steering wheel, referring to Mercedes’ brake bias system.

As per Verstappen in Q1, Norris watched on from the pits after his blistering early time, with both of those drivers again safely making it through alongside Piastri, the still rapid Racing Bulls of Hadjar and Tsunoda, Russell and Ferrari duo Leclerc and Hamilton.

Antonelli progressed in P9 despite his “magic” issue and a moment through the sweeping first turn, with Albon the last to reach Q3 in P10 – denying Ocon, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Stroll and team mate Sainz, who is steadily adjusting to his new surroundings.

Knocked out: Ocon, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Stroll, Sainz

Q3 – Piastri pips Russell and Norris

When Q3 began, Verstappen was quick to head back out and get the timesheets rolling on a 1m 30.925s. McLaren, though, were soon back on top – Norris setting a 1m 30.793s and Piastri going even better on a 1m 30.703s.

Sprint pole-sitter Hamilton held fourth after the first runs, from Russell and Leclerc, while Hadjar and Tsunoda were the ‘best of the rest’ in the Racing Bulls cars – as Albon navigated Q3 with fewer fresh soft tyres than his rivals and Antonelli lost a time for track limits.

A close call in the pits prior to the final runs involved Hadjar being released into Verstappen’s path, with that incident to be looked at by the stewards, but not before one last blast to settle pole position.

In another tense sequence of events, while Norris abandoned his final Qualifying lap, several of those around him managed to improve – Piastri producing a 1m 30.641s and Russell jumping up the order to join him on the front row.

Norris’ bail out left him third, over Verstappen, Hamilton and Leclerc, with Hadjar, Antonelli, Tsunoda and Albon completing the top half of the field ahead of what promises to be a fascinating Chinese Grand Prix.

Key quote

“In Q3, I just found a lot of pace – Q1 and Q2 I was genuinely struggling,” explained Piastri. “The car just came alive in Q3, and I think I came alive in Q3. I’m happy with what I did at the end, it was still… the laps were a little bit scruffy. I’m just pumped to be on pole, so [I’m] very happy.”

What’s next

The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix is set to begin at 1500 local time on Sunday. Head to the RACE HUB to find out how you can catch the action from Shanghai.