Chinese Grand Prix: F1 – live

Morning/afternoon everyone. Much has changed since China last held a grand prix, in 2019, in pre-Covid times and before the cementing of the Verstappen/Red Bull supremacy. And for all Red Bull’s off-track turmoil, that supremacy was evident again in qualifying on Saturday, with the defending champion taking poll and pipping Lewis Hamilton to win the sprint race.

Hamilton then proceeded to have a nightmare in qualifying, out in Q1, and facing an uphill task today just to score any point at all from a starting place of 18th on the grid. He does at least have fond memories of this circuit, having won here six times, three times more than anyone else. Last time he won, five years ago, he had Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel for company with him on the podium. Times change.

Anyway, back in the present, there’s a good deal of home enthusiasm for F1’s return to the Shanghai International Circuit (and a home driver to cheer, in Zhou Guanyu) and there should be plenty to look out for over the course of today’s 56 laps.

Here’s how they line up:

1 Max Verstappen 2 Sergio Pérez 3 Fernando Alonso 4 Lando Norris 5 Oscar Piastri 6 Charles Leclerc 7 Carlos Sainz 8 George Russell 9 Nico Hulkenburg 10 Valtteri Bottas 11 Lance Stroll 12 Daniel Ricciardo 13 Esteban Ocan 14 Alexander Albon 15 Pierre Gasly 16 Zhou Guanyu 17 Kevin Magnussen 18 Lewis Hamilton 19 Yuki Tsunoda 20 Logan Sergeant

Lights out 8am BST.