Norris claims pole ahead of Hamilton in dramatic Sprint Qualifying

Lando Norris edged out Lewis Hamilton in a dramatic rainy Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday morning

The Briton initially saw his time deleted before it was controversially reinstated.

Q1 and Q2 concluded without drama with most top drivers making into Q3 with ease. Q3 began with rain and slippery conditions made it difficult for drivers to focus resulting in the likes of Max Verstappen having some off-track moments. While Lewis Hamilton looked to have claimed pole position by the end of the eight-minute session, after Norris lost his time, the McLaren driver’s lap of 1m 57.940s was given back, putting him in P1.

Aston Martin veteran driver Fernando Alonso qualified in third, while Verstappen ultimately took fourth.

Having lost pole from Norris, Hamilton was not confident of winning the Sprint Race on Saturday.

HAMILTON AND NORRIS TO START IN THE FRONT ROW FOR CHINESE SPRINT

“[What I can do] really depends what the conditions will be. If it’s [rainy] like that then maybe we’ll have a chance of being somewhere up there. I think if it’s drier then, naturally the Ferraris and the Red Bulls will come by – maybe we’ll hold off some of the others,” the Brit said.

No rain is expected in Shanghai for the next two days meaning a dry race should expected.

With Verstappen starting fourth, it will be crucial for Hamilton to take the lead from Norris in the first lap. That should give him a chance to build a lead with the Red Bull pair of Verstappen and Perez making ground.

The Sprint race will take place on Saturday morning with the main race scheduled for Sunday morning. This will be the first time in five years that Formula One has the Chinese Grand Prix.