Chinese GP, where to watch the Grand Prix qualifying on TV. Timetables – -

F1 returns to China, on the Shanghai circuit, on the weekend of 19-21 April. It returns to the calendar for the first time since 2019, after the pandemic pushed the organizers to cancel it. The fifth GP of the season is taking place, the first in which the Sprint Race. Which this year is in a different format than last year: the Sprint Shootout (Sprint qualifying) was held on Friday after the first and only free practice session, the Sprint race it was run on Saturday morning. Qualifying for Sunday’s race will always take place on Saturday after the Sprint race.

How the Sprint race went

Dutchman Max Verstappen dominates the sprint race of the Chinese F1 GP, the first of the season. The Red Bull driver prevailed over Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and teammate Sergio Perez on the Shanghai circuit. At the foot of the podium were the two Ferraris with fourth place for Charles Leclerc and fifth for Carlos Sainz, who dueled head to head in the final laps. Lando Norris’s McLaren is sixth followed by Oscar Piastri’s and Geroge Russell’s Mercedes. Closing out the top ten are the Chinese Zhou Guanyo with Sauber and Kevin Magnussen with Haas.

Where to see the Chinese GP

The live broadcast of fifth F1 GP of 2024 it will be broadcast on Sky Sport F1 and streamed on Sky Go and Now. Furthermore, the race will also be visible on TV8, a digital terrestrial channel which will also broadcast qualifying and the race in a deferred manner. Instead, live broadcasts of the Sprint qualifications and the Sprint race will also be available on TV8.

Qualifying shootout

In the first free practice, interrupted by a curious grass fire which caused a red flag, the fastest was Lance Stroll on his first attempt on the soft tyres. The Ferraris are back, 13th Leclerc and 14th Sainz, eighteenth position for Hamilton. In the shootout qualifications, valid for establishing the starting grid of the Sprint race, carried out in the rain in the decisive laps, Norris took the pole (after moments of chaos because his time was canceled for running off track) ahead of Hamilton. Sainz 5th, Leclerc 7th, also responsible for an off-track exit.

The programme: the times of the Chinese GP

Friday 19 April
5.30 am: free practice 1
9.30 am: Sprint qualifications: READ the news HERE

Sunday 21 April
9am: race
2pm: race (rerun)
5.30pm: race (rerun)

How Ferrari arrives

Ferrari comes to this event with the desire to do well. Charles Leclerc is ready for the challenge: he is third in the general classification and is looking for his first victory of the season, above all he must stay ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz who has always done better than me so far. «We arrive here in China with confidence, given the start of our season. On paper, the track might be better suited to Ferrari than Suzuka, but I expect the Red Bull still has something more. Sainz? He’s doing a better job. It’s difficult to make a comparison on Bahrain because I had some problems. However, in the last two races he has been stronger. Now it’s up to me to work, especially in the qualifying phase, which is usually one of my strong points.”

So, instead, Max Verstappen, which has never won in China (like in Singapore): «We haven’t raced on this circuit since 2019. With only one free practice session available, it will be a matter of making sure we have set up the car in the best possible way. This dynamic creates more uncertainty, which is good for fans, and the team has worked hard to prepare.”