Oscar Piastri set a new track record on his was to his first career prix prole position in a tight qualifying session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix. The McLaren driver set a time of 1:30.641 beat Mercedes’ George Russell by just nine hundredths of a second, with team-mate Lando Norris another five hundredths back in third.
Piastri set the pace in the opening runs of Q1, with the McLaren driver stopping the clock at 1:31.591, a tenth ahead of China Sprint winner Lewis Hamilton and almost half a second ahead of third-placed Russell.
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen was one of the last to leave the pit lane, however, and his opener flyer, which featured a purple final sector, pushed him past…