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The 2024 F1 Chinese GP sprint shootout saw Lando Norris secure his second sprint pole position in a wet session. Rain was forecast for Friday and when it did start pouring in SQ3, it came down to how the drivers would tackle the conditions.
In the end, Norris dealt with the conditions in near-perfect fashion. The McLaren driver secured pole position by being more than a second quicker than Lewis Hamilton, who also pulled a rabbit out of the hat, in P2. Fernando Alonso surprised many as well and will start the F1 Chinese GP sprint in P3 after a brilliant lap.
So after a wet session truly jumbled things up, who would be happy with how the session went, and who would be a bit disappointed? Let's take a look.
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2024 F1 Chinese GP Sprint Shootout
Winner
Lando Norris
The exceptional nature of what Lando Norris did stems from the fact that he was miles ahead of not only Lewis Hamilton, but also his teammate Oscar Piastri. Norris stole a march on everyone and in wet weather, he maintained his composure and got the job done.
Loser
Ferrari
This was a golden opportunity for Ferrari and the team might feel disappointed with how the session went. Red Bull is the dominant car in 2024 but the F1 Chinese GP sprint shootout gave Ferrari a chance to get one over Red Bull.
The fact that neither Charles Leclerc nor Carlos Sainz could qualify ahead of Max Verstappen is bound to disappoint the Italian team.
Winner
Lewis Hamilton
The F1 Chinese GP spint shootout saw a brilliant display of talent from Lewis Hamilton. He grabbed the Mercedes by the scruff of its neck and almost got pole position.
This was a brilliant lap by the legendary driver and he deserves a lot of credit. It was also a timely reminder to everyone who doubted him after a slow start to the season.
Loser
Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen doesn't make mistakes often and he tends to be cerebral when things get tough. This time around, that was not the case as the Red Bull driver struggled to keep the car on track in the shootout.
It was uncharacteristic of him to make these mistakes in the wet weather and he will be looking to bounce back during the rest of the F1 Chinese GP weekend.
Winner
Sauber
Dragging both cars into Q3 was a brilliant result for Sauber, a team that has underperformed massively for a long time now. Both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu made it to SQ3 and that should give the team a boost in confidence.
Loser
George Russell
George Russell has not looked confident in the car throughout the F1 Chinese GP race weekend. Having said that, it would hurt him to see Lewis Hamilton almost secure pole position in the same car.
