F1 News
Confirmed starting grid | Verstappen from pole, one pitlane starter
Red Bull Racing secured the full front row for the Chinese Grand Prix with Max Verstappen on pole position and Sergio Perez on P2. Fernando Alonso completed the top three. Aston Martin lodged a protest against the result of qualifying, causing Carlos Sainz to briefly fear for his seventh starting place. However, the protest was dismissed. There's a small change to the starting grid.
Sargeant starts from the pits
Sainz qualified seventh, ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell and behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who will start alongside Oscar Piastri on the third row. Lando Norris was just ahead of his McLaren teammate and starts in fourth place, just behind Alonso.
Both Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg had to report to the stewards after qualifying. The Haas driver overtook in the pit lane and was reprimanded for doing so. After long deliberation, Sainz also did not have to fear a start at the back of the grid. Aston Martin alluded to Article 39.6 of the FIA's sporting regulations, which states that a driver may not continue driving if stopped on the track. However, the stewards ruled that Sainz was allowed to continue his qualifying as normal because he had no help from the marshals.
Logan Sargeant starts the Chinese Grand Prix from the pit lane. Williams decided to make an adjustment to the setup of its Formula 1 car after qualifying. Apart from some time at the start, Sargeant loses little from it as he was already in the last starting position behind Yuki Tsunoda and Lewis Hamilton.
