Valtteri bottas

Chinese Grand Prix Sprint F1: Lando Norris will start from pole position in Saturday's F1 Sprint in Shanghai after having his fastest lap removed and then reinstated in a thrilling rain-affected qualifying session. Norris' best time of 1:57.940 was a full 1.3 seconds ahead of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and came after the McLaren driver's time was initially deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 16 before quickly being reinstated.

With the Shanghai International Circuit having recently been resurfaced with a layer of bitumen, the track proved extremely slippery as rain intensified in the closing stages of the session. Several drivers slid and ran wide in the damp conditions, and Charles Leclerc was lucky to avoid damage as his Ferrari tapped the wall following a high-speed spin, reports Xinhua.

Behind the front two, Fernando Alonso ended the session third for Aston Martin, with championship leader Max Verstappen only fourth in his Red Bull after having run wide at the end of his first push lap.