Qualifying for the 2024 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix concluded at the Shanghai International Circuit on the afternoon of 20 April, Beijing time. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took pole position with a 1:33.660, making it five poles in the first five races of the season and the 100th pole in the team’s history. Team-mate Sergio Pérez was second, 0.322 seconds behind, giving Red Bull a front-row lockout.
Verstappen carried strong form into qualifying after winning the Sprint from fourth on the grid that morning. He topped both Q1 and Q2, led after the first Q3 runs and improved again on his final flying lap. Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris finished third and fourth to share the second row. Three drivers fought over fifth, separated by just 0.024 seconds: Oscar Piastri beat Charles Leclerc by 0.016 seconds, with Carlos Sainz another 0.008 seconds behind in seventh. George Russell, Nico Hülkenberg and Valtteri Bottas completed the top ten. Bottas had shown good form throughout the weekend and took Sauber into Q3.
Sainz brought out a red flag with 6 minutes 44 seconds remaining in Q2. He lost control after running onto the gravel outside the final corner and struck the inside barrier with the front-right of his car. Despite losing the front wing, he drove back to the garage under his own power. Urgent repairs allowed him to rejoin qualifying, and he advanced to Q3 with the third-fastest time, behind Pérez.
Q1 produced a major surprise. Hamilton, who had finished second in the morning’s Sprint, made a mistake at Turn 14 and was eliminated in 18th. He apologised to his team over the radio. Yuki Tsunoda was 0.303 seconds slower than team-mate Daniel Ricciardo and went out in 19th, matching his Sprint qualifying position. Zhou Guanyu finished 16th, missing Pérez’s 15th-place cut-off by 0.048 seconds. Ricciardo advanced in 14th despite reporting a problem with his front-right brake. Alex Albon was noted for potentially impeding Pérez, but the stewards ultimately took no further action.
In Q2, Lance Stroll was eliminated in 11th, 0.069 seconds behind Bottas. Hülkenberg was about 0.1 seconds faster than Bottas and advanced to Q3 in ninth. The gap from Russell in sixth to Hülkenberg in ninth was only 0.058 seconds. Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, Albon and Pierre Gasly finished 12th to 15th.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:34.742 | 1:33.794 | 1:33.660 | 18 |
| 2 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:35.457 | 1:34.026 | 1:33.982 | 19 |
| 3 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:35.116 | 1:34.652 | 1:34.148 | 15 |
| 4 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:34.842 | 1:34.460 | 1:34.165 | 15 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:35.014 | 1:34.659 | 1:34.273 | 16 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:34.797 | 1:34.399 | 1:34.289 | 20 |
| 7 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:34.970 | 1:34.368 | 1:34.297 | 17 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:35.084 | 1:34.609 | 1:34.433 | 20 |
| 9 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas | 1:35.068 | 1:34.667 | 1:34.604 | 21 |
| 10 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | 1:35.169 | 1:34.769 | 1:34.665 | 15 |
| 11 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:35.334 | 1:34.838 | – | 12 |
| 12 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB | 1:35.443 | 1:34.934 | – | 12 |
| 13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:35.356 | 1:35.223 | – | 15 |
| 14 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:35.384 | 1:35.241 | – | 14 |
| 15 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:35.287 | 1:35.463 | – | 15 |
| 16 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber | 1:35.505 | – | – | 8 |
| 17 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:35.516 | – | – | 6 |
| 18 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:35.573 | – | – | 6 |
| 19 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB | 1:35.746 | – | – | 9 |
| 20 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:36.358 | – | – | 7 |
