Norris tops sprint race qualifying at China GP

McLaren's Lando Norris was in a league of his own as he dominated a wet qualifying session for the China Grand Prix sprint race while world champion Max Verstappen struggled into fourth place.

Norris clocked 1 minute 57.940 seconds on the 5.451-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit where rain set in shortly ahead of the final session on Friday in Formula One's return to China after five years.

Former world champion Lewis Hamilton was 1.261 seconds behind in second for Mercedes, and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso third, another .714 back in the tricky conditions.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri - who set the second-fastest time in the day's lone practice session behind Aston Martin's Lance Stroll - qualified eighth, with fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo 14th for RB.

Red Bull's Verstappen slid off towards the end of a fast lap but regrouped to finish fourth, after already having to settle for third in practice.

There was a brief moment of confusion when Norris' pole lap was deleted for track limit violations, but it was quickly reinstated because he had left the track at the end of the previous lap.

"I'm extremely happy. Big thanks to the whole team. It was tricky. You are always nervous going into a qualifying like this, especially when you almost know it's going to rain," Norris said.

"You only have three laps. The first two I aborted and the last lap was all or nothing.

"I'm happy. Sad it's not for a proper qualifying, but it's good enough."

Hamilton said: "As soon as I saw the rain coming I got excited because in the dry we were not quick enough, so when the rain came I thought we would have a better opportunity and that's when it came alive."

The rain affected the session even more because the second part of qualifying was delayed by a few minutes to extinguish a small trackside fire which had also occurred during practice, caused by sparks from cars.

Saturday's sprint race will be over 19 laps, to be followed by a qualifying session for Sunday's Grand Prix which has been added in a tweaked sprint race weekend format. Previously the sprint race result determined the grand prix grid.

Verstappen has won three of the four season races and leads the standings 13 points from team-mate Sergio Perez, who was sixth in sprint qualifying, between Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who also slid off the wet track.

The champion is yet to win in Shanghai where there were no races after 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic and China's strict zero-Covid policy.

The home fans delighted in China's first F1 driver Zhou Guanyu qualifying in 10th in his home town, behind Sauber team-mate Valtteri Bottas.