Liveblog: Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix - Race!

The 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix is just moments away! Follow the action of the Chinese Grand Prix in our liveblog further down the page. Valtteri Bottas starts on pole for the first time in Shanghai, while his Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton joins him on the front row.

The two Ferrari's, Sebastian Vettel followed by Charles Leclerc, will be breathing down their necks on the second-row which should produce an exciting first corner showdown. Mercedes and Ferrari have been fairly close during each practice session, with the four cars swapping order constantly. The Silver Arrows opened up a gap just other 0.200 on Saturday.

Max Verstappen comes next, but for the first time this year, he's not the lone Red Bull in the top six allowing a solid platform for the Austrian team. Last year's race winner, Daniel Ricciardo places as the best of the rest.

For the first time in 2019, Williams will not cover the back two spaces of the grid as Antonio Giovinazzi and Alex Albon didn't record times. P14 and P15 were all McLaren could muster as they produced a poor show after strong pace early in the season.