Hello and welcome to this Total Motorsport live blog for Sprint Qualifying at the F1 2025 Chinese GP from the Shanghai International Circuit as teams and drivers look to set the grid for the first Formula 1 Sprint of the season in China.
Lando Norris put McLaren firmly on top during Friday’s sole practice session for the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, setting the fastest time ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and teammate Oscar Piastri. The Shanghai International Circuit, which has been resurfaced since F1’s last visit, appeared to be offering plenty of grip as times quickly dropped in FP1.
Early pace-setters included Lewis Hamilton for Ferrari, despite a minor slide through the hairpin, and George Russell for Mercedes. The FP1 session was also interrupted by a red flag after Jack Doohan’s Alpine suffered power steering issues and stopped on track.
Total-Motorsport.com’s F1 2025 Chinese GP live updates for Sprint Qualifying will offer fans unparalleled insight into team strategies, reliability concerns, and potential frontrunners. So stay tuned with us as Sprint Qualifying at the F1 2025 Chinese GP unfolds live from the Shanghai International Circuit.
F1 2025 Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying LIVE: Latest Updates
Your results and times from Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix
Full grid for the Shanghai Sprint
It’s orved to be an excellent day for Ferrari with Hamilton on pole for the Sprint at a track he perfroms so well at. The most disappoited team relative to expectation will be McLaren. They somehow took third and sixth when it seemed a front row lockout was almost inevitable.
It was another very tough time for Liam Lawson who will start the Sprint at the back of the grid, whilst Carlos Sainz also had troubles in his Williams and he will be in P13. Oliver Bearman reaching P12 is very impressive given his woes in Australia, whilst Max Verstappen will be right in the frame wto win the Sprint given he was not far behind Hamilton.
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Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
- Jack Doohan (Alpine)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
- Liam Lawson (Red Bull)
New lap record in China
There we go, 1:30.849 is the new lap record at Shanghai and fittingly, it belongs to Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton takes pole!
Lewis Hamilton has hit fist big moment in a Ferrari and he will be on pole for the Sprint race tomorrow. Verstappen was the last man to have a serious crack at Hamilton’s time and he went second. McLaren will be disappointed as they have ended up third and sixth.
1 minute to go in SQ3: Ferrari’s and Verstappen out on track
The Ferrari’s are giving us a look now, with Verstappen also on track and the McLaren’s going again behind them. Hamilton goes fastest by narrowly beating Piastri, Leclerc goes third for now. Piastri has not improved and Norris has pitted.
4 minutes to go in SQ3: McLaren’s on flyers
The McLaren’s are putting in the first flying laps on their soft tyres with the Mercedes’ set to follow soon. Piastri is the quicker of the two and we’re into the 1:30s now. Russell goes second and splits the McLaren’s, Antonelli goes fourth. Replays show that Norris had a big moment before the back straight which explains his slower lap.
SQ3 is underway
No time to breathe for the drivers, they’re back on track to see who will start the Sprint on pole. Norris is certainly the favourite.
SQ2 results
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
Eliminated in SQ2
11. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
12. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
13. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
15. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
SQ2 finishes
Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz are the most notable losers from SQ2. The two Spaniards are out, along with Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto and Oliver Bearman. Norris stays quickest, with Russell going second after a storming final run whilst he was in the drop zone.
1 minute to go in SQ2: The drivers at risk right now
11. Alex Albon
12. Isack Hadjar
13. Ollie Bearman
14. Yuki Tsunoda
15. Lance Stroll
2 minutes to go in SQ2: McLaren’s going quicker
The McLaren’s are currently P1 and P2 here, with Russell concerned about his tyres and the Ferrari’s not finding the same level of pace now that Norris and Piastri have ramped it up, Verstappen is in third right now.
5 minutes to go in SQ2: Norris flying
Norris has gone within a tenth of the lap record here in Shanghai, so expect that to be beaten this weekend. He is top of the standings, and Verstappen is going quicker than he did in SQ1.
Apology from Lawson
Lawson was quick to apologise to the team, saying that he ‘just couldn’t get the tyres down’ in his Red Bull.
Green light for SQ2
We go again, with 15 cars in this session. The Williams would like to see an improvement in this session as both Sainz and Albon seemed at risk in SQ1, partially bailed out by deleted lap times for others.
SQ1 results
The major winner from that session was Oliver Bearman who found time on his final flying lap and shot up to P10.
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
- Jack Doohan (Alpine)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
- Liam Lawson (Red Bull)
Chequered flag in SQ1: Hamilton quickest
Liam Lawson is the headline maker from the session as he will start the sprint race in P20. Jack Doohan had a lap deleted and that is why he is out, along with Pierre Gasly. Esteban Ocon in the Haas and Nico Hulkenberg in the Sauber are also out.
Lawson out in SQ1
Liam Lawson has had a lap time deleted and takes the chequered flag, so his poor start to life at Red Bull is continuing. Both the Alpines look to be heading out with the New Zealander.
2 minutes to go in SQ1: Tsunoda and Sainz need quick laps
Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda are both in the bottom five right now and they wouldn’t expect to be. Tsunoda was blocked by George Russell on the penultimate corner of his flying lap.
4 minutes to go in SQ1: Piastri goes quickest, Ferrari’s up there
The two Ferrari’s did go quickest, with Hamilton first and Charles Leclerc in second. Oscar Piastri then went top of the standings, with Lando Norris having a moment on his flying lap and going fifth. Fernando Alonso has found pace in his Aston Martin as he goes second.
6 minutes to go in SQ1: Verstappen sets the pace
No extra lap of warm up for Verstappen who puts in the quickest time in his Red Bull. His 1:32:329 put him almost a second ahead of Yuki Tsunoda who was quickest at the time. Isack Hadjar is now the closest competitor.
8 minutes to go in SQ1: Mercedes taking it slow
The two Mercedes were first out but they seem to be taking two laps to warm up their medium tyres before they try and put in times that will help them into SQ2. A reminder that everyone is on medium tyres as they are obliged to run new mediums in SQ1. We’ll see soft tyres later in the session.
We’re underway in Shanghai
There’s a queue at the pit exit and cars are now on track for the first Sprint Qualifying session. It’s a hot day in Shanghai and the sun is shining, but there are cross winds that caused some drivers issues in FP1.
Norris fastest in FP1
It was Lando Norris in his McLaren who secured top spot in Free Practice 1, with the Briton picking up where he left off in Australia. He put in a 1:31.504 which was almost half a second clear of the next fastest driver.
It was a promising session for Ferrari as Charles Leclerc came second and Lewis Hamilton took fourth, with Oscar Piastri in between the two Ferrari’s. Max Verstappen was Norris’ closest challenger when the chequered flag fell in Australia but he ended up down in P16. He had to abort what seemed to be a very quick lap which would have catapulted him up the order.
12 minutes until go time
We’re not far away from the beginning of Sprint Qualifying now, with the teams trying to use the little information they could glean from Free Practice 1. A newly resurfaced track coming one week after the season opener and having a sprint format poses a near-unique set of challenges for the teams and the drivers.
Where to Watch 2025 Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying?
For viewers in the United States, 2025 Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying will be shown on ESPN2, with streaming coverage via ESPN+.
In the UK, all sessions, including 2025 Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying are available on Sky Sports F1. And fans in Australia can catch all the action on Fox Sports, Kayo Sports, and Foxtel.
What time is Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese GP?
Sprint Qualifying for the 2025 Chinese GP begins at 3:30pm local time on Friday in Shanghai. That means an early start for F1 fans in the UK, where Sprint Qualifying begins at 7:30am on Friday morning.
Over in the USA, the 2025 Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying session from Shanghai begins at 3:30am ET on Friday evening, which means a 00:30am PT start.
