F1 Chinese GP qualifying: Full results, grid positions, and biggest surprises

Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix is bookended by a first-time pole sitter and a brutal (but familiar) face in last place.

Oscar Piastri nabbed his first-ever grand prix pole after several front-row starts and sprint poles over his first two seasons. Saturday's results were a bit of a shakeup from sprint qualifying just 24 hours earlier.

The second round of grand prix quali delivered quite a few surprises and notable results ahead of Sunday's second round of the 2025 F1 season.

McLaren on form, but not dominantly

Piastri was strong throughout the qualifying session, and Norris wasn't far behind, but he himself lamented making some mistakes.

Still, Norris was only a tenth-and-a-half off Piastri's pace, but he wasn't able to improve on his final qualifying lap, which opened the door for him to fall off the front row.

With two tenths separating the top four cars, fans can hope the forthcoming McLaren "domination" might be a bit exaggerated.

Russell continues impressive qualifying efforts

George Russell has now put his car on the front row in four of his last six grand prix qualifying efforts — all the more impressive when you can consider how he has probably only had the best car under him one of those times (Las Vegas).

Russell was on the radio throughout the session as he tried to figure out how to maximize the car, and in a Q3 where very few drivers improved on their final runs, he was thrilled with how it all worked out as he went from fifth to second.

"That was a good one ... Ahh I f------ like F1 when it comes together."

George Russell

Ferrari falls behind the lead pack

After a thrilling sprint pole and win for Lewis Hamilton, the team had a few hours to rest and focus on the grand prix. The results weren't quite as exciting.

It wasn't a poor session for them, but P5 and P6 after Hamilton won the sprint by nearly seven seconds won't inspire as much confidence for a double delight on the top step of the podium.

Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's grand prix qualifying times were both within a tenth of the times they posted during sprint qualifying, so it wasn't a departure of form. More so that the other teams seemed to improve.

Racing Bulls capitalize while Lawson flounders

Narratives develop quick in Formula 1, sometimes unfairly. A poor Australian Grand Prix weekend already had Liam Lawson on the back foot, but it would be quick to write him off right there.

But now we have three qualifying results to look at: 18th, 20th and 20th. The narrative is alive and well: How long can Lawson survive performing this poorly? He seemed a bit defeated in his Sky Sports interview after his third-straight Q1 knockout, saying he needs time to get better, but recognizing, "Unfortunately, I don't really have time."

Meanwhile at the Red Bull "B team," Yuki Tsunoda has put the car in Q3 all three sessions so far, and Isack Hadjar impressed with a P7 qualifying performance, less than a tenth behind Leclerc ahead of him.

Again, the narratives are writing themselves for Lawson and the drivers below him, who are hungry to get a shot next to Max Verstappen.

F1 qualifying results: Here's the grid for 2025 Chinese Grand Prix