2024 Chinese Grand Prix - Sprint Shootout Results & Summary

McLaren driver Lando Norris scored P1 during the Sprint Shootout and will start the Saturday sprint race at Shanghai International Circuit from pole position.

Drivers had to start the Sprint Shootout on medium-compound tires, which made the initial stages very difficult for them as they had problems warming up their tires.

It was perhaps the most challenging for the Alpine and Williams drivers, along with Yuki Tsunoda, who didn't make it out of SQ1.

The Sprint Shootout then became even more interesting as it started raining in the middle of the SQ2. All the teams anticipated the rain and rushed onto the track as soon as possible.

All the drivers managed to put in their first laps in dry conditions, but those who weren't in the top ten were cut off because it started raining right afterwards, and there wasn't any room for improvement anymore.

Consequently, the Haas drivers, Danial Ricciardo, Lance Stroll, and George Russell, didn't get their second shot and were out of SQ2.

One of the pleasant surprises for the home crowd was that both Sauber drivers, especially Zhoy Guanyu, made it all the way to SQ3, and the cheers could be heard even on the live broadcast.

By the time SQ3 started, the track was completely wet and quite slippery, which meant the fastest cars no longer had as big of an advantage, and drivers' skills were the biggest differentiating factor.

Drivers desperately searched for parts of the track with the highest grip and avoided the slippery racing line. Most of them went out of the track on multiple occasions as they just didn't have the grip they needed under braking.

Charles Leclerc even crashed his car into the barrier but was able to get away with very low damage. The drivers at the top of the order changed every second, but in the end, it was Lando Norris who made the most out of the damp conditions at the recently resurfaced track.