Verstappen secures dominant pole position in the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton eliminated in the first qualifying session.

Max Verstappen, from Red Bull, secured the team’s 100th pole position in Formula 1 at the Chinese Grand Prix, dominating the qualifying session in 2024. Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, narrowly escaped elimination in Q1, but recovered to join Verstappen on the front row. Fernando Alonso was prevented from claiming a spot on the front row by Perez, while McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively. Carlos Sainz had a challenging day, spinning off track in Q2, but managed to repair his car and advance to Q3 alongside teammate Charles Leclerc. George Russell was the fastest Mercedes driver in eighth place, while Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas rounded out the top ten. Lance Stroll, Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, and Alex Albon were also eliminated in Q2. Lewis Hamilton struggled with his setup and finished in 18th place, ahead of Yuki Tsunoda and Logan Sargeant. Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen, and Nico Hulkenberg also failed to advance to Q3.