'All-Or-Nothing' Lando Norris Takes Sprint Pole In Rain Chaos At Chinese GP

A fearless "all or nothing" lap from McLaren's Lando Norris in wet and wild conditions Friday denied Lewis Hamilton pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race. Hamilton thought he had claimed Shanghai pole in his Mercedes when Norris's lap of 1min 57.940sec on intermediate wet tyres was deleted for exceeding track limits, only to be dramatically reinstated a minute later. Fernando Alonso in an Aston Martin showed his experience and guile to come third in the treacherous conditions with championship leader Max Verstappen fourth.

It was a second career sprint pole for Norris.

"It was tricky, you are always nervous going into a session like this," said the Englishman.

"You just have to risk a lot, push and build tyre temperature and what not.

"You only get three laps. The first two I aborted on both, so it was all or nothing."

Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez was sixth, splitting the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who survived a big spin.

"It was just like driving on ice," said Verstappen, whose final lap time was deleted after a trip across the gravel outside the final bend.

"That is why also I think we deserved to be where we are in qualifying, it isn't really working for me in the wet but it is not where we are in the dry."

Hamilton has endured a poor start to 2024 but was clearly looking forward to starting from the front row.

"So happy, as soon as I saw the rain coming I was getting excited. In dry conditions we're not quick enough."

Alonso was also thankful for the late rain. "We were not super competitive on the dry," he said.

"In the wet it was difficult to judge the level of grip and risk we wanted to apply but in the end I am happy."

Fifth-placed Sainz said the rain and cool