After a Sprint qualifying and an F1 Sprint dominated by Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver is obviously the favorite for qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc is also a candidate for pole position, after a second place yesterday when he had driven little.
Lando Norris, who missed his last lap in qualifying yesterday but had excellent pace in SQ2 and SQ3, will also be one to watch throughout this qualifying session, which will determine the order of the starting grid for the race. Miami tomorrow.
Besides Ferrari and McLaren, who can come and play for pole, it will be interesting to see if the Aston Martin manages to behave better over one lap, and if the Mercedes drivers will manage to get through Q2, after their double elimination in SQ2 behind.
Note that Daniel Ricciardo will have a three-place penalty for overtaking a car under a red flag during the Chinese Grand Prix.
21h50 : Kevin Magnussen was summoned to the stewards for his “unsportsmanlike behavior” in the Sprint, during which he sent Lewis Hamilton off the track and admitted afterwards that he intentionally exceeded the limits of acceptable.
21h54 : The stewards revealed that the incident at the start of the Sprint involving Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton was dismissed, and the stewards explained why: “From the video, it appears that there was had at least three collisions – the first between cars 14 and 18, then between car 44 and car 14 and finally between car 18 and car 4. It appeared to us that the incidents started with cars 14 and 18 , but the sudden and rapid arrival of car 44 contributed to the various collisions. However, we have not been able to identify one or more drivers who were entirely or primarily responsible for any or all of the various collisions. Also bearing in mind that this happened in turn 1 of lap 1, where greater latitude is given to drivers for incidents, we took no further action.
21h55: Lando Norris received a reprimand and a $50,000 fine, half of which was suspended, for crossing the track on foot after abandoning.
Q1 – 18 minutes
Guanyu Zhou was dropped in front of an RB F1 car leaving his garage, and he is under investigation for not following the race director’s notes. All the drivers take to the track from the first minutes, with the exception of Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas.
Nico Hülkenberg set the first time in 1’28″945, ahead of Esteban Ocon who was 0″044 behind, then Magnussen and Pierre Gasly. Hamilton did better in 1’28″817, and George Russell took the lead with a time of 1’28″567, while Daniel Ricciardo slotted in between the Mercedes.
Alonso took the second time and Carlos Sainz took the lead of the session in 1’28″159. Stroll took the sixth time, and Charles Leclerc signed the second time 0″024 behind his teammate. Norris set the sixth provisional time, and Oscar Piastri the fourth, before being beaten by Sergio Pérez, third.
Verstappen came out of the pits after most of the drivers’ fast lap, and he was surprised by a strange noise from the clutch on his RB20. But Gianpiero Lambiase assured that everything is fine with the clutch.
Despite a slower first sector than that of Sainz, the three-time world champion signed the absolute best second sector, and he took the lead with a time of 1’28″023. Bottas set a good time with the provisional fifth place.
Hülkenberg took the fifth fastest time in place of Bottas, and Logan Sargeant set his first time of the session with provisional 11th place. Magnussen moved up to 13th position. Stroll moved up to sixth place.
Hamilton set the third time after setting the best time in the first sector, and Gasly took the 15th time. Ocon did much better in provisional seventh position, while Tsunoda moved up to 12th position. Zhou did not do better than 19th.
Sainz regained first place in 1’27″937 and Leclerc placed third, before being beaten by Piastri, who came back to within a tenth of Sainz. And Norris climbed into this group, 0.080 seconds behind Sainz, 6 thousandths ahead of Verstappen and 15 thousandths ahead of Piastri. Pérez beat the best time in 1’27″772.
Sargeant complains of having been hampered by Tsunoda and, before the last attempt of all the drivers, he is provisionally eliminated by 2 thousandths of a second. With less than eight tenths between eighth and 20th, everything remains to play for this qualifier.
Leclerc improved but remains sixth, and Norris takes second place. Verstappen sets the best time in 1’27″689, and Magnussen misses by 2 thousandths with a time equal to Sargeant, not without having been hampered in the last corner.
Sargeant takes the 12th time, and Albon the eighth! Ocon moved up to eighth, Tsunoda ninth and Ricciardo progressed but did not move from 18th place (and will start last with his 3 place penalty). Russell takes seventh time, and Gasly progresses to fifth place, the two Alpines are in Q2! Stroll is tenth and Bottas is no better than 16th.
Those eliminated are Bottas, Sargeant, Ricciardo, Magnussen and Zhou.
Q2 – 15 minutes
Tsunoda signs the best time in 1’28″223, ahead of Pérez and Stroll. Verstappen did better in 1’27″972, immediately beaten by Norris in 1’27″871, and Piastri in 1’27″721. Hamilton took sixth time and Russell replaced him in this position.
It was Leclerc who took the best time in 1’27″533, and Sainz set the fourth time four tenths behind his teammate. Alonso finished in 11th place just behind Stroll, and Gasly then Ocon placed ninth and tenth.
Albon went straight to the hairpin at the end of the straight, while the classification after this first attempt shows Red Bull in the background. Note, however, that Verstappen and Pérez used tires that were already worn out for their first attempt.
The 15 drivers returned to the track, since they were all in 1″2 before this last run, and the track evolves in its conditions. It is in particular the wind which tends to shift, and the advantage of a positive wind could change the situation.
Alonso improved and finished no better than 13th, while Stroll took provisional ninth place. Hamilton also progressed and moved up to second place between Leclerc and Piastri. Sainz took sixth time and Russell eighth.
Verstappen moved up to second position and Ocon did not do better than 13th. Norris regained a place in front of Sainz and Albon did not do better than 14th.
Those eliminated are Stroll, Gasly, Ocon, Albon and Alonso.
Q3 – 12 minutes
Very surprisingly, Norris has put on a set of mediums, because he only has one set of soft tires. The McLaren driver wants to secure a time in case there is a red flag during the second run.
Hülkenberg set a first time of 1’29″104, and Tsunoda did a slower lap. Hamilton did a 1’28″654, and Russell was ahead in 1’28″067. Pérez did better that the two men in 1’27″754, and Verstappen signed a 1’27″241!
Norris, with his mediums, placed third. Russell took the second time, a tenth behind Verstappen, and Leclerc set the third time, two tenths behind. Piastri finished with provisional fourth place.
Note that Sainz embarrassed Hülkenberg but the race director decided not even to open an investigation against the Ferrari driver. Enough to undermine Fernando Alonso’s theory on his sanctions and his nationality…
Verstappen had the absolute best first sector, while Russell worried about being slowed by Hamilton on the warm-up lap. Leclerc made a small mistake in the first partial and, like Sainz, he was slightly behind.
In the second sector, Verstappen lost time, as did Leclerc and Sainz. Verstappen finished with a worse time, and Norris did not do better than fifth. Leclerc has not improved, just like Sainz. Hamilton managed to gain two positions despite using medium tires, and Russell made no progress.
Verstappen therefore takes pole position ahead of Leclerc and Sainz, then Pérez. Norris and Piastri follow in front of the Mercedes of Russell and Hamilton. Hülkenberg and Tsunoda follow to complete this top 10.
Pos.PiloteVoitureTemps Q1Temps Q2Temps Q3
01
Max Verstappen
Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20
1:27.689
1:27.566
1:27.241
02
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari SF-24
1:28.081
1:27.533
1:27.382
03
Carlos Sainz
Ferrari SF-24
1:27.937
1:27.941
1:27.455
04
Sergio Pérez
Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20
1:27.772
1:27.839
1:27.460
05
Lando Norris
McLaren Mercedes MCL38
1:27.913
1:27.871
1:27.594
06
Oscar Piastri
McLaren Mercedes MCL38
1:28.032
1:27.721
1:27.675
07
George Russell
Mercedes W15
1:28.159
1:28.095
1:28.067
08
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes W15
1:28.167
1:27.697
1:28.107
09
Nico Hülkenberg
Haas Ferrari VF-24
1:28.383
1:28.200
1:28.146
10
Yuki Tsunoda
RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01
1:28.324
1:28.167
1:28.192
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11
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24
1:28.177
1:28.222
12
Pierre Gasly
Alpine Renault A524
1:27.976
1:28.324
13
Esteban Ocon
Alpine Renault A524
1:28.209
1:28.371
14
Alex Albon
Williams Mercedes FW46
1:28.343
1:28.413
15
Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24
1:28.453
1:28.427
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16
Valtteri Bottas
Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44
1:28.463
17
Logan Sargeant
Williams Mercedes FW46
1:28.487
18
Daniel Ricciardo
RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01
1:28.617
19
Kevin Magnussen
Haas Ferrari VF-24
1:28.619
20
Guanyu Zhou
Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44
1:28.824