Max Verstappen made it five pole positions in a row in 2024 – and the 100th for his Red Bull team in F1 – by topping Chinese Grand Prix qualifying, emerging with the best time at the end of a session that featured a dramatic crash for Carlos Sainz.
Verstappen built on his earlier Sprint race success to charge his way to P1 on the grid for Sunday’s main event, getting the better of team mate Sergio Perez and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in the decisive Q3 phase.
READ MORE: Verstappen seals pole position for Chinese Grand Prix as he heads Perez and Alonso
Sainz was able to take part in the pole shootout thanks to some rapid repairs from Ferrari and an impressive recovery from the Spaniard after he lost control of his car at the final corner and hit the barriers in the Q2 phase, which Lewis Hamilton missed out on due to a shock Q1 exit.
Watch the action from qualifying in Shanghai in the video player above.
Next Up
Related Articles
ExclusiveHow APXGP was brought to life by costume designer Julian Day
10 ways to get your Formula 1 fix during the winter break
Celebrating the first F1 Allwyn Global Community Awards
Verstappen confirms new number for 2026 season
F1 AcademyHaas name Countryman as 2026 F1 ACADEMY driver
EXPLAINED: The key terms for F1’s new-for-2026 rules