Verstappen Claims Fifth Consecutive Pole Position in Dramatic Chinese GP Qualifying

Max Verstappen extended his pole position streak to five consecutive races in the Formula 1 season by securing the top spot in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, marking the 100th pole for the Red Bull Racing Team in F1 history.

In a thrilling qualifying session in Shanghai, Verstappen pipped his teammate Sergio Perez and Aston Martin‘s Fernando Alonso to claim pole position for the main race on Sunday, following his victory in the Sprint race earlier in the weekend.

Despite a heart-stopping crash in Q2, Carlos Sainz managed to make it to the pole shootout thanks to swift repairs by Ferrari, while seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton suffered a shock elimination in Q1, missing out on the decisive stages of qualifying.

Watch the highlights of the action-packed qualifying session in the video above to relive Verstappen’s pole-position lap in China.

As the Chinese Grand Prix kicked off, Max Verstappen surged to the front, with Fernando Alonso displaying his grit by quickly moving up to second place after a brilliant overtake on Sergio Perez around Turn 1.

Further down the grid, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz struggled in the opening laps, with Nico Hulkenberg managing to sneak past the Ferraris initially before Leclerc fought his way back past the Haas driver.

In the midst of the pack, home hero Zhou Guanyu made an aggressive move on Kevin Magnussen, showcasing his determination in front of the Chinese fans, while Lewis Hamilton faced further woes as he lost another position from his lowly starting spot on the grid.