A busy Saturday ended with Grand Prix qualifying, and while Red Bull were in a class of their own, there were notable data points across the grid.
Max Verstappen enjoyed a perfect day, taking pole position following a sprint, but Fernando Alonso, McLaren and others will also be pleased with their efforts.
Q2 red flag caused large changes in road temperature
Additional reporting from Pablo Hidalgo
The first thing to note is the effect that cars that have been off the track for long periods of time have on track temperature. Carlos Sainz brought out a red flag late in Q2, causing a long delay before the session could restart. Meanwhile, as temperatures dropped, players like Charles Leclerc opted to use additional new software in Q1.
Disappointing Mercedes and Hamilton performance
Mercedes arrived in China with high hopes, only to prove once again that they were severely lacking in pace, especially in qualifying. In today's qualifying, they were closer to Haas and Sauber than Aston Martin and McLaren.
To make matters worse, Lewis Hamilton's mistake means he will start near the back of the grid, ahead of the equally disappointing Hiroki Tsunoda and Logan Sargent.
Due to the tailwind on the long back straight, the driver struggled to brake smoothly at Turn 14, a mistake the seven-time world champion could not afford to make, and one that left his teammate trailing 4-1. was. This season is toe head.
Nevertheless, tomorrow should be a better day for them as their race pace is more promising, as seen during the sprint event. George Russell is in a good position to really put McLaren into trouble, but Hamilton will have to play a different strategy and perhaps wait for a red flag or safety car to have a chance to rejoin the chasing pack. .
Extraordinary Fernando Alonso outdoes amazing McLaren
Fernando Alonso has just announced that he will stay in F1 until he is at least 45 years old and is spending the summer in India. At one of his favorite tracks, where he took pole position in 2005 and 2006, the Spaniard prevented McLaren from securing third and fourth place. This was an unimaginable result for the team, who were based in Woking before arriving in Shanghai.
With a great first sector, the Aston Martin is a car that does the most in the qualifying session and then suffers during the race, but it's the ones that torment rivals the most when chasing down technically accomplished cars.
Indeed, the Silverstone team have set up their cars with the aim of maximizing their chances against McLaren and Mercedes tomorrow, which should be on the same race pace.
Ferrari: Heads focus on the race and minimize damage
Ferrari will show its real pace when points are awarded tomorrow, as Charles Leclerc admitted to Spanish broadcaster DAZN F1 Spain. However, the Monaco team admitted it expected it to be faster than the McLaren on today's one-lap pace.
The Italian team missed out on a perfect lap-in to beat the two McLarens and Fernando Alonso after a small incident with Carlos Sainz brought out a red flag in the Q2 session. They know their strengths, but starting from behind them will be a big handicap if they really want to fight Red Bull for the win.
Red Bull in a league of its own
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez secured a 1-2 for the Austrian team, but even though they were already considered favorites to win the race, they will be set for tomorrow as their rivals Ferrari have started further back than expected. It's hard to imagine anyone being able to score another 1-2. Stay away from them.
As seen in the last sprint race, the Bulls have managed degradation well and shown very consistent long-run pace, and barring any surprises, tomorrow should turn into an easy win.
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