Fire delays rain qualification
Norris lurches to the sprint pole, Red Bull swims
April 19, 2024, 11:47 a.m
Lando Norris celebrates, Red Bull has to solve problems: Formula 1 produces unusual images in the wet qualifying for the sprint race in Shanghai. There is also a small fire that complicates the session.
In the rain in Shanghai, Max Verstappen clearly missed the best starting position for the Formula 1 sprint that he didn’t like. The three-time world champion had to settle for fourth place on a slippery track. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez starts sixth. Lando Norris from McLaren was fastest under difficult conditions during the comeback of the premier motorsport class in China.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton took second place in a Mercedes, while two-time champion Fernando Alonso came third. The sprint race takes place on Saturday (5 a.m. CEST/Sky and in the ntv.de live ticker) takes place and runs over 100 kilometers. “It was difficult out there,” said Norris: “In these conditions you always risk something. But I was fast and I’m happy. It’s a shame that it’s not a real qualifying.”
As if the grip – i.e. the traction – on the track wasn’t already low after the long forced break from Formula 1 and only one hour of training, it started to rain minimally with the first knockout of the weekend. The pilots still stayed on their dry tires. “It never really went smoothly for me. It felt like driving on ice,” said Verstappen: “But it looked good in the dry, that makes me confident.”
Fire next to the track
As in the one-hour training session before, Verstappen only managed third place in the first twelve minutes. Teammate Sergio Pérez and Norris were faster. Local hero Guanyu Zhou also escaped into the second section with a lead of 88 thousandths of a second.
However, this began with a slight delay after, as in the only free practice session, a piece of grass burned. According to the International Automobile Federation, initial video analyzes showed that sparks from the cars caused the small fires.
Even before the heavy rain began, the 26-year-old Dutchman Verstappen set the fastest lap. George Russell, on the other hand, was eliminated in the Mercedes, and Nico Hülkenberg also retired in the Haas. Zhou advanced in 10th place to the cheers of Chinese fans. On the now wet asphalt, Charles Leclerc slipped off the track in the crucial section, and Verstappen also had problems and missed out on first place.
The premier class of motorsport is back at the Shanghai International Circuit for the first time since 2019. After the race premiere in China in 2004, the corona pandemic and the strict requirements of the Chinese government’s zero-Covid strategy prevented the starts in previous years.