Formula 1: Sebastian Vettel takes pole for the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix
By Kevin Nguyen
The Ferrari teammates traded record laps in Q3 with each other before Sebastian Vettel took the pole position for the 2018 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix.
The 2018 Formula 1 season so far hasn’t been kind to Daniel Ricciardo, and when his Red Bull RB14 let out a plume of smoke and fire during the final practice session, putting his participation in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit in jeopardy, it was another unfortunate event in a recent series of unfortunate events for the Australian. Red Bull were cautious with Max Verstappen’s Red Bull as a result.
The rest of the grid were ready to go and FP3’s results suggest that Ferrari are in control, as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton struggled for pace and Valtteri Bottas finished only P3. Hamilton is an ace in Shanghai having captured six pole positions, so we had to wait and see if the four-time world champion can put together another fast flyer or whether this will once again be the Ferrari show.
Qualifying 1
Williams, Toro Rosso, and Sauber take to the track two-by-two immediately to start Q1. Sauber’s Charles Leclerc posted the first lap time a 1:35.189 seconds, and his teammate Marcus Ericsson followed a half second slower. Of the frontrunners, Kimi Raikkonen set an early 1:32.474 second lap. Bottas went P2 behind his fellow countryman P2 early.
As the session continued, Sebastian Vettel set the benchmark with a lap at 1:32.171 seconds. Ricciardo made Q1 with three minutes left. He started his only timed lap with a minute to go and made Q2 by crossing the line in P13. Pierre Gasly missed out on Q2 following his P4 Bahrain finish, but his teammate Brendon Hartley barely made the cut in P15
Eliminated in Q1: Sergey Sirotkin, Gasly, Lance Stroll, Leclerc, Ericsson
Qualifying 2
The Mercedes pair head out for Q2 on the soft tire, and Ferrari duo did as well. Of the Ferrari team battle, Raikkonen beat Vettel by 0.099 seconds. Mercedes told Hamilton they will do three laps on the soft tire. Ricciardo took P3 early on the ultrasoft tire 0.402 seconds behind the Ferrari pair.
At the halfway point of the session, Hamilton took new soft tires and put in a 1:31.914-second lap time for P1 as the session ended.
Eliminated in Q2: Kevin Magnussen, Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, Stoffel Vandoorne, Hartley
Qualifying 3
Going into the shootout, the Renault duo headed out first. Of the leaders, Vettel headed out first. Hulkenberg set the first time of Q3 at 1:32.602 seconds. Raikkonen took provisional pole with an outright lap record at 1:31.200 seconds. Vettel slotted into P2 a tenth behind. Of the Mercedes pair, Bottas beat Hamilton and they ended up in P3 and P4, respectively. Red Bull took P5 and P6, with Verstappen ahead of Ricciardo.
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Bottas ended up ahead of Hamilton in the second row after Hamilton abandoned his final lap. Raikkonen beats his own time but Vettel took pole and the lap record by 0.087 seconds over his teammate with amazing last sector and an amazing lap at 1:31.095 seconds. Raikkonen will start P2. Red Bull will start from the third row with Verstappen ahead of Ricciardo, who miraculously made qualifying run after a super quick replacement job by the Red Bull mechanics.
Hulkenberg slotted into his patented P7 spot for Sunday’s race. Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz, and Romain Grosjean round out the top 10, respectively.
Provisional starting grid for the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix
| Rank | Driver | Car |
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | #5, Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari |
| 2 | Kimi Raikkonen | #7, Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari |
| 3 | Valtteri Bottas | #77, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Mercedes |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | #44, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Mercedes |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | #33, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, Renault |
| 6 | Daniel Ricciardo | #3, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, Renault |
| 7 | Nico Hulkenberg | #27, Renault Sport, Renault |
| 8 | Sergio Perez | #11, Sahara Force India, Mercedes |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | #55, Renault Sport, Renault |
| 10 | Romain Grosjean | #8, Haas, Ferrari |
| 11 | Kevin Magnussen | #20, Haas, Ferrari |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | #31, Sahara Force India, Mercedes |
| 13 | Fernando Alonso | #14, McLaren, Renault |
| 14 | Stoffel Vandoorne | #2, McLaren, Renault |
| 15 | Brendon Hartley | #28, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Honda |
| 16 | Sergey Sirotkin | #35, Williams Martini Racing, Mercedes |
| 17 | Pierre Gasly | #10, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Honda |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | #18, Williams Martini Racing, Mercedes |
| 19 | Charles Leclerc | #16, Alfa Romeo Sauber, Ferrari |
| 20 | Marcus Ericsson | #9, Alfa Romeo Sauber, Ferrari |
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Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull are two-by-two for Sunday’s race. However, turn 1 in Shanghai is full of surprises. A lightning start by Mercedes or a packed field into the first corner could still change the outlook of the race. Don’t miss the Chinese Grand Prix this Sunday at 2:10 am ET on ESPN2.