F1 starting grid: What is the grid order for the 2024 Chinese Grand ...

19 Apr 2024

PlanetF1

Who will start where for the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix sprint race? Let’s take a look at the full F1 starting grid for Saturday’s mini race at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Having taken the last sprint pole of 2023, McLaren driver Lando Norris secured the first of the F1 2024 season at the end of a dramatic, rain-interrupted session.

F1 starting grid: Grid order for 2024 Chinese Grand Prix sprint race

Norris appeared to have missed his chance at securing pole position after his fastest lap was deleted, but the British driver’s time was reinstated in the closing seconds of SQ3.

It means McLaren have set pole position for three of the last four sprint races, with Norris starting from the front in Brazil and team-mate Oscar Piastri converting pole into victory in Qatar in the closing weeks of last season.

Norris is set to head an all-British front row in China, with Lewis Hamilton excelling in the slippery conditions to secure second on the grid.

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Fernando Alonso will line up third ahead of reigning World Champion Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

In his first visit to his home race, Zhou Guanyu wowed the local crowd by securing 10th, a place behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas as Sauber enjoyed their strongest performance of the 2024 season to date.

After sparks thrown up by the cars caused a trackside fire in Friday’s only practice session, a repeat of the incident took place in the closing minutes of SQ1, causing a slight delay to the start of SQ2.

That delay ultimately proved costly for Mercedes’ George Russell, who was caught out by a mid-session rain shower and could only manage 11th, becoming the big name to fall in the second segment of sprint qualifying.

In a tweak to the format for 2024, the sprint race will held on Saturday morning (11am local time) before qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix is held later that day.

The sprint race will take place over 19 laps, with points awarded from the winner (eight points) down to to eighth place (one).

Chinese Grand Prix 2024 sprint grid

1. Lando Norris, McLaren

2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

3. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

4. Max Verstappen, Red Bull

5. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

6. Sergio Perez, Red Bull

7. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

8. Oscar Piastri, McLaren

9. Valtteri Bottas, Sauber

10. Zhou Guanyu, Sauber