07:07
Piastri on top now
Piastri lowers the benchmark with a 1m31.591s, a tenth ahead of Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton
2025 F1 Chinese Grand Prix - Qualifying - As it happened
A recap of what happened in F1 qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix.
22 Mar 2025
07:05
Gasly leads the way
It's early days but Gasly is on top with a 1m32.036s, less than a tenth ahead of Ocon.
07:03
A busy track
19 of the 20 cars are out on track, with just Verstappen still in the pit lane.
07:01
Q1 is underway
The first part of qualifying is underway in Shanghai.
06:52
Brundle on Hamilton
"Right from the get-go Lewis looked at one with the car and track. I didn't see a single lap in Australia where that was the case. Something has transformed and he was able to dial in the car in his new environment and make it sing."
06:31
What happened in the sprint?
It was a masterclass from Lewis Hamilton to take the sprint race victory ahead of Oscar Piastri. Hamilton won by over six seconds in the end as he managed his tyres beautifully.
Max Verstappen drove a solid race to finish third - but Red Bull struggled with their tyres.
It was a bit of a disaster for Lando Norris, who lost three places on the opening lap before finishing eighth, overtaking Lance Stroll late on.
06:29
We're building up to qualifying
We're back and we're building up to qualifying.
Qualifying kicks off at 7am UK time - so just 30 minutes until Q1 kicks off at the Shanghai International Circuit.
03:52
A little break now
We will be back here at 6am to build up to qualifying which gets underway at 7am UK time.
03:38
Full results
| 2025 F1 Chinese Grand Prix - Sprint Race Results | ||||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team | Laps |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 19 Laps |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren F1 Team | +6.889s |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing | +9.804s |
| 4 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | +11.592s |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari HP | +12.190s |
| 6 | Yuki Tsunoda | JPN | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | +22.288s |
| 7 | Kimi Antonelli | ITA | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | +23.038s |
| 8 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren F1 Team | +23.471s |
| 9 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | +24.916s |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | +38.218s |
| 11 | Alex Albon | THA | Atlassian Williams Racing | +39.292s |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team | +39.649s |
| 13 | Isack Hadjar | FRA | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | +42.400s |
| 14 | Liam Lawson | NZL | Oracle Red Bull Racing | +44.904s |
| 15 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | +45.649s |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | +46.182s |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Atlassian Williams Racing | +51.376s |
| 18 | Gabriel Bortoleto | BRA | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | +53.940s |
| 19 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | +56.682s |
| 20 | Jack Doohan | AUS | BWT Alpine F1 Team | +60.212s |
03:35
Top eight
Hamilton, Piastri, Verstappen, Russell, Leclerc, Tsunoda, Antonelli and Norris.
03:34
Hamilton wins the sprint
A dominant display from the seven-time world champion in Shanghai.
03:33
Hamilton starts his final lap
He's over six seconds ahead of Piastri.
03:32
Lap 18/19
Leclerc is now right behind Russell in the race for fourth.
Further down the order, Norris has overtaken Stroll into the hairpin for eighth.
03:29
Hamilton responds
He's increased his lead over Piastri to 3.4s. Looks like he has the win in the bag.
03:28
Lap 15/19
Piastri moves into second. He overtakes Verstappen into the hairpin.
03:27
The order on Lap 15
Hamilton, Verstappen, Piastri, Russell, Leclerc, Tsunoda, Antonelli, Stroll, Norris and Alonso.
03:25
Lap 14/19
Verstappen goes on the defensive against Piastri into Turn 1 - but keeps the position.
03:22
Lap 12/19
Piastri still running in DRS range of Verstappen. Antonelli is within one-second of Tsunoda.
03:20
Piastri increases his pace
He's now 0.5s behind Verstappen.
03:18
The order on Lap 10
Hamilton, Verstappen, Piastri, Russell, Leclerc, Tsunoda, Antonelli, Stroll, Norris and Alonso.
03:16
Hamilton reports
"I've got front left graining," Hamilton tells his engineer.
03:15
Lap 7/19
Verstappen has moved into DRS range of Hamilton now.
03:14
Strong pace from Piastri
He's now 0.6s behind Verstappen in the battle for second.
03:12
Piastri is upping his pace
He's now moved into DRS range of Verstappen in second.
03:12
Lap 4/19
The gap is still 1.0s at the front between Hamilton and Verstappen.
Further back, Lawson and Doohan bang wheels as the former overtakes the Alpine into the hairpin.
