RaceFans Live

This session is live. You are not logged in, so new updates will not appear automatically. For automatic updates, log in here or register a free RaceFans account here.

Albon and Tsunoda have now been noted for the same potential infringement as Bortoleto. The drivers may have fallen foul of an update to the practice start restrictions in the last version of the race directors’ event notes. This now reads: “Practice starts may only be carried out on the asphalt on the RHS of the pit exit after the pit exit line and before the end of the pit wall and, for the avoidance of doubt, this includes any time the pit exit is open for the sprint and the race.” The clause “after the pit exit line” was added in an amendment to the guidance yesterday.

Practice starts may only be carried out on the asphalt on the RHS of the pit exit after the pit
exit line and before the end of the pit wall and, for the avoidance of doubt, this includes any
time the pit exit is open for the sprint and the race.

The stewards have noted Gabriel Bortoleto for failing to follow the practice start procedure as drivers head to the grid and performance reconnaissance laps.

The FIA has confirmed the final starting grid for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Liam Lawson, who qualified last, will start the race from the pit lane after Red Bull made set-up changes to his car.

A small update on the weather forecast – originally there was no chance of rain throughout the race, that has changed slightly, and now the chance is around 10%. That obviously still means it’s very likely to stay dry, but the post-race showers noted in the strategy briefing article do seem to be moving in a little quicker than the early models indicated. But it’s more likely to be a problem for those packing equipment away in the paddock after the race than the strategists on the pit wall.

Full an in-depth look at all the key data for this race, including which tyres are available for each driver, how long pit stops take and more, check out our pre-race strategy briefing.

Tyre management was a significant factor in yesterday’s sprint race and that will inevitably be the case for the grand prix as well. Whoever emerges from the first lap in the lead will have the advantage of clean air which makes it far easier to keep the tyres in the ideal temperature window and control the graining which particularly affects the front-left.

But Oscar Piastri has put one MCL39 at the pointy end of the grid for the main event. McLaren didn’t manage to lock out the front row, however. An inspired lap by George Russell in the dying moments of Q3 relegated Lando Norris to third place. Norris shares the second row of the grid with Max Verstappen and the two Ferraris are lined up behind them.

McLaren have looked like the quickest team since the weekend began but they didn’t manage to win the sprint race – pole and victory there went the way of Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari.

We’re one hour away from the start of the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix.

2025 Chinese Grand Prix

Browse all 2025 Chinese Grand Prix articles

This session is live. You are not logged in, so new updates will not appear automatically. For automatic updates, log in here or register a free RaceFans account here.

Norris’s best time has now been deleted for a track limits violation. He did a 1’32.036. He heads into the pits with 10 minutes left and is directed to the weigh bridge.

Charles Leclerc, who admits this is not one of his strongest circuits, locks up and runs wide at the turn 14 hairpin.

Lando Norris briefly goes fastest but that’s beaten in turn by Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri.

Sainz only manages third behind the Saubers – and then the Haas pair beat his time. Pierre Gasly goes quickest but his team mate Jack Doohan just had a quick spin.

Carlos Sainz Jnr, who gave up racing during the sprint race and made a pit stop to test a set-up change, begins a lap in the Williams.

Qualifying has begun. Lance Stroll leads the field out followed by the Saubers and Fernando Alonso.

We’ve got a big queue at the pit exit light already – almost the whole field. Max Verstappen is not among them, however.

Will Lewis Hamilton make it two pole positions in as many days? He beat Max Verstappen by less than two hundredths of a second yesterday. But the real threat is McLaren, who under-performed in sprint race qualifying and deserve to be considered favourites for pole position.

As the sprint race earlier today showed, running up at the front and getting out of the dirty air is vitally important, so securing a strong starting position will be crucial.

Qualifying for the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix is coming up next.

2025 Chinese Grand Prix

Browse all 2025 Chinese Grand Prix articles

This session is live. You are not logged in, so new updates will not appear automatically. For automatic updates, log in here or register a free RaceFans account here.

Hulkenberg is told he’s out in the first round. “What? Oh my god…”

Ocon goes 18th and he’s out. He’s eliminated along with Lawson – who is dead last – Doohan and Gasly in the Alpines, and Hulkenberg. Rookie Bortoleto has out-qualified his team mate for the second session in a row.

Hamilton goes quickest. Both Alpines have been eliminated. Bearman gets his Haas up to ninth but Ocon needs to improve.

Sainz goes ninth, Stroll falls into the drop zone but he improves and that eliminated Lawson, who is in the pits.

A tidy lap by Doohan moves him up to eighth.

Tsunoda is unhappy with Russell, whom he says held him up at the end of the lap.

Russell finally does a proper lap and goes sixth. That leaves Tsunoda, Sainz, Bearman, Bortoleto and Ocon in the drop zone. Lawson has made it into the top 10 in the Red Bull.

A surprise lap from Fernando Alonso pops the Aston Martin driver into second place.

Norris loses time in the final sector and goes third. Then Oscar Piastri shows what he could have done – a 1’31.723 puts him fastest by half a second.

Antonelli drops a wheel into the gravel trap at the exit of the final corner, which was added last year, and goes third – until Leclerc improves ahead of him. But it’s wLewis Hamilton who’s fastest so far, 1’32.229.

A 1’32.329 for Verstappen which is already nine tenths of a second quicker than he went earlier on the medium rubber.

All 20 cars are out on the track. Gabriel Bortoleto sets the ball rolling with a 1’33.693 and already there’s just eight minutes left in this very compressed session.

Jack Doohan has joined the track. He was badly disadvantaged earlier on as he suffered a technical problem in practice and therefore was unable to do a run on the soft tyres.

It’s still sunny in Shanghai, the track temperature is 38C, just one degree higher than in the sole practice session. Mercedes weren’t that competitive on the soft tyres in practice, but that won’t matter at the start of this session as drivers are required to use the medium rubber for SQ1 and SQ2.

We’ve got the usual queue of drivers lined up at the pit lane exit ready for the start of the sprint race qualifying session. The pit lane exit light turns green and the Mercedes drivers lead the field out, Andrea Kimi Antonelli followed by George Russell.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner declares McLaren “odds-on favourites for pole”, and though he does play a strong expectations management game, Lando Norris was comfortably ahead in practice this morning. That said, Max Verstappen abandoned his only lap on soft tyres, and Liam Lawson has continued to struggle, so Red Bull’s true pace this weekend is a complete unknown.

One of the rookies managed to out-pace their team mate in the sole practice session earlier today: Oliver Bearman pipped Esteban Ocon by 0.089 seconds. Will he repeat that when it matters? The Haas cars also looked in slightly better shape than they were in Melbourne.

We’ve had our second power unit change of the season since practice – Racing Bulls have swapped Yuki Tsunoda’s motor.

Sprint race qualifying at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix is coming up next.

2025 Chinese Grand Prix

Browse all 2025 Chinese Grand Prix articles