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Verstappen was in a league of his own throughout the session.
Max Verstappen put on a masterclass in qualifying for the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix, securing pole position for Red Bull and etching his name in Formula One history. The victory marks Red Bull's 100th pole position in the sport, a significant milestone for the ever-competitive team.
Verstappen was in a league of his own throughout the session. His blistering time of 1:33.660 placed him a comfortable three-tenths of a second ahead of teammate Sergio Perez. The Mexican driver will line up alongside Verstappen on the front row, giving Red Bull a strong chance for a dominant race win. The surprise of the session came from the evergreen Fernando Alonso. The veteran Spaniard defied time once again, piloting his Aston Martin to a phenomenal third place. This marks a strong return to form for Alonso and Aston Martin, who are clearly pushing the established teams for podium finishes.
Strong teams find it tough!
Lando Norris continued his impressive run of form for McLaren, securing fourth place on the grid. The young Briton consistently outpaced his teammate Oscar Piastri, who will start the race in fifth. Ferrari had a disappointing qualifying session. After a promising performance in the sprint race, Charles Leclerc's weekend took a turn for the worse. A small mistake on his final flying lap saw him miss out on Q3 entirely. His teammate Carlos Sainz managed to recover from a spin in that brought out the red flags, but could only manage a lowly seventh place.
Mercedes endured another challenging qualifying. With Lewis Hamilton shockingly knocked out in Q1, the pressure fell on George Russell. The young driver managed to salvage some pride for the Silver Arrows by securing eighth on the grid. Nico Hulkenberg, in his Haas, continued his impressive rookie season with a ninth-place finish, while Valtteri Bottas rounded out the top 10 for Alfa Romeo.
The Chinese Grand Prix promises to be a thrilling affair. Verstappen's dominance in qualifying suggests a Red Bull victory is on the cards, but the midfield battle between McLaren, Aston Martin, and the resurgent Alpine team will be one to watch.