Sparks cause grass runoffs to catch fire despite rain at Chinese GP

Chosen by us to get you up to speed at a glance
The Shanghai International Circuit briefly caught fire on Friday as sparks flew onto a patch of grass before heavy rain in the final part of sprint qualifying turned the track into an “ice rink”.
A chaotic session eventually ended with a pair of Britons on the front row, McLaren’s Lando Norris just pipping Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to pole to set up an interesting weekend in China.
Lando Norris TAKES POLE 👏Lewis Hamilton thought he was on for pole position, but Norris has his deleted lap reinstated in MANIC Sprint Qualifying 🌧 pic.twitter.com/08x8Ax3Y3w
With Red Bull’s Max Verstappen only able to qualify fourth fastest for Saturday’s 19-lap sprint race, the hope will be that there is some action at the front for once.
That may depend on the weather. If conditions on Saturday are dry, Verstappen, who has won every race this season bar the Australian Grand Prix when his car suffered a brake failure, is likely to be able to move through the field and assume his habitual position at the front.
If not, there may be an opportunity for Norris or Hamilton to take stay ahead of him. Even if it is dry, there is always the potential for drama as Verstappen tries to pass his rivals. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso also starts ahead of him in third spot.
In truth, it is difficult to know where everyone stands after such a chaotic day. Sprint weekends only allow for one practice session before qualifying takes place, and Friday’s first session was red-flagged when a patch of grass next to Turn 7 caught fire. In qualifying the grass was set ablaze again, this time at Turn 5.
Although both fires were quickly extinguished, the incidents – which governing body the FIA believes were caused by sparks flying off the drivers’ cars – will be a concern.
Anything that helps to ignite the season is welcome though. And Saturday’s sprint race could be interesting.
Unlike last year, the sprint race now takes place on a Saturday morning with a qualifying session for Sunday’s main race taking place in the afternoon. That means that there is no time for teams to fine-tune their setups on Saturday morning before getting under way.
“It [the sprint race] has got the probability of throwing up quite a few variables and, perhaps, some unexpected results,” Red Bull principal Christian Horner conceded. ”I think it’s going to be all action.”
Norris, who briefly lost pole before his final flying lap was reinstated by the stewards, said it had been “all or nothing” for him as the rain lashed down in the final part of qualifying.
“It was wild,” said Norris. “You always know it is going to be in a session like this.
“You only have three laps. The first two I aborted so that last lap was all or nothing. I was nervous because I made a few mistakes, but you have to risk a lot and push and I was quick.”
Verstappen likened it to “driving on ice”, a sensation which was welcomed by Hamilton, who has endured his worst start ever to a season. His Mercedes team mate George Russell was eliminated in 11th in the dry – but when the rain landed, the seven-time world champion looked at home as he secured his spot on the front row.
” Verstappen goes OFF!” 😲These are the TRICKIEST of conditions, and we are loving every second of this 👏 pic.twitter.com/7UNBkbqjf6
“I am so happy,” said the 39-year-old, who failed to finish inside the top six at any of the opening four rounds.
“When I saw the rain coming I was getting excited because in the dry we are not quick enough. I thought I would have a better opportunity and that is when it all came alive.
“Tomorrow depends on the conditions and if it is like that, maybe we will have a chance of being somewhere up there, but if it is dry the Ferraris and Red Bull will come by.”
Saturday’s sprint takes place at 11am local time (04:00 BST) ahead of qualifying for Sunday’s main event.
“It was very tricky, tricky conditions. Not a lot of grip. Yeah, so happy. As soon as I saw the rain coming I was getting excited because in dry conditions we are not quick enough. When the rain came [was] when it all came alive. If it’s like that [wet] then may we have a chance of being somewhere up there, if it’s dry then naturally the Ferraris and Red Bulls will come by but maybe we can hold off some others.”
“It wasn’t easy at all. That one lap in Q2 we tried sending it as early as we could but then [got caught in a queue in the pit lane]… lost the tyre temperature. One more tenth and you were four or five positions higher. Just a shame to be on the bottom end of that.”
He first speaks about the reinstatement of Norris’s lap: “I haven’t seen the detail… honestly that was even slower so he probably could have gone faster, so I am okay with that,” he says. 
On Russell lagging behind Hamilton: “I think the driving is most important in the wet but I think it shows it’s about tyre preparation.”
“The last lap was all or nothing!” 😄Lando Norris on the “nice surprise” of being on Sprint Pole 🟠 pic.twitter.com/V6uAaExHpL
In these conditions it was very much a drivers job to be done so very well to Lando. Overall a good session for us, we are happy [despite Piastri’s issue]. We can enjoy a pole position which is deserved by Lando. I hope everyone at McLaren can enjoy this day. 
He believes that he track limits deletion and then reinstatement was as below and says that they did not lobby the FIA to change the ruling on that. 
Normally if you go over track limits on the final corner you lose that lap and the next one. Yet Norris ran very wide and almost through the gravel which would have given him no advantage on either lap. But I think they only reinstated the second one. Not sure Mercedes are going to protest. Perhaps if it was a grand prix and not a sprint, maybe but we will see. Either way it was a strange end to an enthralling qualifying session. 
Classic wet quali 👏🏻 Congratulations to @LandoNorris and @LewisHamilton All Brit Front Row! @BRDCSilverstone 👏🏻 V Exciting #f1
He crosses the line as the session ends but they have reinstated Lando Norris’s lap time which puts him top and puts Hamilton down to second! 
LANDO NORRIS TAKES POLE FOR THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX SPRINT RACE…
Lando Norris TAKES POLE 👏Lewis Hamilton thought he was on for pole position, but Norris has his deleted lap reinstated in MANIC Sprint Qualifying 🌧 pic.twitter.com/08x8Ax3Y3w
What?! Perplexed looks in the Mercedes garage and elation in the McLaren one!
What a session that was…
Hamilton is back up to first! He also has another lap to complete. What can Zhou do… not much. He stays 10th. 
The rain is getting heavier as Alonso slots into second between Hamilton and Verstappen… 
It’s 0.892sec faster than Alonso which suggests the track is getting a but quicker. It’s going to be interesting to see what everyone else does here. 
Piastri can’t beat Hamilton. Can anyone else? Verstappen cannot!
Sainz cannot! Norris can!
Can anyone beat him?
0.162sec faster than Perez. Leclerc is on a good lap too but it’s only third!
Verstappen and Hamilton do not have lap times on the board yet… they have one more go. Hamilton might get two…
Norris’s lap indeed gets deleted. 
Fastest in the first two sectors…
Verstappen runs wide and through the gravel at the final corner. He carries on but that lap will be deleted for track limits and will not count. He has time for one more lap…
Norris goes second but also runs wide at the final turn…
Perez improves his time. Alonso also on a good lap…
It’s a good lap, two seconds faster than anyone else and 2.5sec faster than Verstappen. Not a bad lap considering he ran wide. But he then has his lap deleted for track limits. A bit odd. 
Bottas goes onto the front row provisionally! Then it’s Piastri and Norris!
Verstappen doing a much better job this time, nearly a second up after two sectors. He gets sideways on the long-right hander before the long straight but can he finish the job?
So not the opportunity for more than a couple of timed laps. This could well be a mixed up grid in the extreme. Zhou on pole anyone? Well, he’s just run wide so maybe not…
Not in the barriers, though. He just cannot slow the car down enough… this track has been resurfaced since we last ran here and that usually means any water makes it very, very slippery. 
He’s managed to keep it going! Norris had just run off and then nearly lost the rear end when applying the power. Leclerc does well to avoid a bigger, more serious crash there. His car might still be damaged, though. Front wing broken, perhaps, but nothing much more. 
Alonso has been noted for a pit lane infringement. More on that when we get 
Is intermediate really the best tyre here?
“Listen to THAT” 🔊Absolute scenes in the fan stands as Zhou reached the top ten shoot-out ⚡ pic.twitter.com/FHVHat75Tr
10 drivers, eight minutes and it will decide how the top 10 line up for tomorrow morning’s sprint race. 
“After a first review of the video footage, it seems like it is sparks coming from cars igniting the fire in the grass run-off area.”
Doubt it’ll be happening in this session…
It is very damp out there now. No doubt that intermediates, at least, is the right choice. This could be fun. 
Nice. Hamilton just went straight on during his in lap. “It’s wet,” he says. It is. 
But the rain is coming down heavier and he will not be able to improve. That means he is out… we still have two minutes left but that is almost irrelevant with the track conditions now. 
It does, however, mean home lad Zhou is through to SQ3! 
But not by a great deal. Just a tenth ahead of Leclerc. Perez slots into third 0.175sec off Verstappen. Russell, Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Ricciardo and Stroll in the drop zone. Both Sauber cars in the top 10. Rain expected very soon. 
So, the rain is unlikely to effect this session in any way as it looks like all drivers will be able to set a lap time in dry conditions. Russell ninth, Hamilton seventh.  Verstappen about to cross the line…
Piastri beats him by just under a couple of tenths, though… no sign of a downpour just yet. 
Sainz third, behind the McLarens. Alonso fourth, 0.266sec behind Piastri’s fastest time. 
Are they going to suffer if the rain comes? They will not have waited at the end of the pit lane with cold tyres like the others. 
There’s a bit of a bun fight in the pit lane to get track position for these runs. They are all very close as the rain intensifies. A bit of a mess but I am not complaining. 
🟢 SQ2 GREEN LIGHT 🟢We are down to 15 drivers and they’re all coming out on track at once! The rain is expected to intensify soon ☔️#F1Sprint #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/B09xOEnEFt
But still a couple of minutes until the rain starts. 
“We believe the rain will hit us at the end of the timed lap,” Charles Leclerc is told. That is bad timing indeed. 
0846BST: Light rain is now about 10-15km away and FIA forecasters advise teams of arrival from about 16:02… that should help prevent further trackside fires 🤦‍♂️
So pretty soon. The rain has started to come down a little steadier but not enough for intermediate tyres… yet. 
They are waiting until that trackside fire at turn five has been put out. But will it happen again? Might need a bit more rain…
Or rather at the side of the track. Leclerc points this out and the grass is on fire on the outside of the track. We haven’t got a red flag, but a yellow flag…  a bit worrying that it has happened again in short order. 
Fire!! AGAIN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xGghBVz47V
He goes 12th, putting Gasly into the drop zone. Hamilton into 10th. Zhou in danger of being eliminated here as Piastri moves fifth. Can Ocon knock out the home driver?
Ocon dives into the pits so Zhou is safe. 
He hasn’t been out in Q1 – or SQ1 – all that often in the last year or so but he is in danger here, as is George Russell. Albon does not improve, which obviously helps Russell but he still needs to find the lap time. It is not a brilliant middle sector from Russell. Albon is out, Sargeant is also out. 
Tsunoda doesn’t improve either, so he is out. 
What can Russell do here?
Even though he had a bit of a moment at the hairpin. Well, he locked up a bit. The bottom five stays the same. Sainz complains that there was a Haas in the way in the first part of the lap. He’s probably right. The final runs are about to get under way. Perez leads the way by 0.274sec from Norris in the McLaren. 
Three minutes remain. It’s Albon, Russell, Ocon, Sargeant and Tsunoda who are the bottom five. The rain doesn’t appear to have worsened in the last few minutes. 
Can Verstappen beat that? Yes he can by more than four tenths. Yep. He’s quick, isn’t he? What does Perez do? He beats Verstappen by 0.346sec, which is pretty handy. 
Piastri slots in a couple of hundredths faster than Hamilton. Norris and Alonso on good laps, Alonso fastest in the first sector. 
If it stays like this then slick tyres might still be good. 
Hamilton sets a 1:37.239sec which is 0.253sec faster than Bottas with Zhou and Albon behind. Russell is only fifth when he crosses the line and Sainz third. 
This is a tricky circuit to master at the best of times…
It looks terribly grey out there, if not exactly gloomy. It often is grey around this track, though. 
A reminder that this is kind of like the main qualifying but each session is called SQ something rather than Q something and they are shorter. 
🟢 SQ1 GREEN LIGHT 🟢@ZhouGuanyu24 leads out the drivers #F1Sprint #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/we3gOkuFCF
The official risk of rain for the session is 60 per cent. Interesting…
First practice: 4.30am BSTSprint qualifying: 8.30am
Sprint race: 4amQualifying: 8am
Chinese Grand Prix: 8am
F1 helmet designs aren’t what they used to be, but at least this one is clear. 
Lewis Hamilton said “people continue to talk s—” about him amid his worst start to a Formula One season. The 39-year-old has scored just 10 points from the opening four rounds following his Mercedes team’s misfiring start to the campaign.
Read more here.
Is this potentially the strangest red flag we’ve ever had? 😲🟥A trackside fire temporarily brought FP1 to a halt 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vrblHkvjEb
I think it’s safe to assume that these are unlikely to be entirely representative. Mercedes did not even run the medium tyre, let alone the soft. It would be nice for things to be this mixed up, but in an hour or two I doubt they will be. 
Welcome to our coverage of the sprint qualifying for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit. After running every year from 2004 to 2019, there was a Coronavirus-induced hiatus which means that this is the first edition of the race since that year. 
Is returning to China a good thing? The jury is out as they say. It’s not a terrible track though perhaps not one many drivers favour with some strange corners. Does it produce good racing? Well, sometimes it does but like most tracks that is dependent on the competitive order and factors during the race. 
This weekend is also the first sprint race weekend of the year, though with yet another slight rejig from what happened in 2023. Instead of having Saturday locked out for sprint qualifying and then the sprint race, we have a sequential order of sessions in order of importance, roughly speaking. So far we had FP1 on Friday morning – the only practice session of the weekend – with qualifying for the sprint race coming up. 
After that it is the actual sprint race early on Saturday with qualifying for the main grand prix several hours later on Saturday. On Sunday it is the race. In some ways this puts more emphasis on the actual race and I think it’s good that main qualifying isn’t shunted to late on Friday. 
Anyway, what happened in FP1? Here’s Philip Duncan of PA Sport’s recap: 
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was the surprise name at the top of the leaderboard in the sole practice session for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, which was disrupted by a fire at the side of the track.
Stroll finished 0.327 seconds clear of McLaren driver Oscar Piastri at the Shanghai International Circuit, with championship leader Max Verstappen third.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished 17th and 18th, respectively, although the Mercedes pair did not set a competitive lap on the speediest soft tyre compound.
With qualifying for tomorrow’s 19-lap sprint race due to take place at 15:30 local time (08:30 BST) on Friday, the one-hour running here represented the only opportunity for the teams to trial different setups.
However, practice was suspended with just 15 minutes on the clock after a patch of grass at turn seven caught fire.
A number of drivers reported seeing smoke before a marshal extinguished the flames. It is unknown at this stage what caused the unusual incident on Formula One’s return to China after a five-year break.
Following a short red-flag period, the running resumed, with Hamilton forced into an impromptu visit to the pits after complaining that he had been pushed off the track by compatriot Lando Norris.
Neither Mercedes driver posted a quick lap with Russell and Hamilton, both electing to use the most complex tyre compound, 2.5 seconds off the pace. Norris only finished 16th, but the McLaren driver had been on course to set the fastest time before aborting his lap in the closing minutes.
Sprint qualifying starts in a little under an hour and we will be here for all of the updates.