Formula 1: Valtteri Bottas takes pole for 2019 Chinese Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas took his first pole position of the 2019 Formula 1 season for the season’s third race, the Chinese Grand Prix, at Shanghai International Circuit.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport’s Valtteri Bottas took the seventh pole position of his Formula 1 career and his first pole position of the 2019 season by taking the pole position for the season’s third race, the Chinese Grand Prix, at Shanghai International Circuit.

Bottas took the pole position for the 56-lap race around the 16-turn, 3.388-mile (5.452-kilometer) Shanghai International Circuit road course in Jiading, Shanghai, China by recording a top lap time of 91.547 seconds (133.230 miles per hour) in the third and final round of qualifying for the race.

Bottas edged teammate Lewis Hamilton to take the pole position for this race, as Hamilton recorded a top lap time that was only 0.023 seconds (0.034 miles per hour) slower than that of Bottas at 91.570 seconds (133.196 miles per hour) in the third and final round of qualifying for the race, which was enough to lock out the front row for the Silver Arrows.

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By taking the pole position for this, Bottas became the third different driver to take a pole position for a race this season. Hamilton took the pole position for the season opener, the Australian Grand Prix, while Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took the pole position for the season’s second race, the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The first five rows on the starting grid are all set to feature two teammates. Ferrari teammates Sebastian Vettel and Leclerc locked out the second row by qualifying in third and fourth place, respectively, while Aston Martin Red Bull Racing teammates Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly locked out the third row by qualifying in fifth and sixth, respectively.

Renault teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg locked out the fourth row by qualifying in seventh and eighth place, respectively, while Rich Energy Haas teammates Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean locked out the fifth row by qualifying in ninth and 10th, respectively.

Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, SportPesa Racing Point’s Sergio Perez, Alfa Romeo Racing’s Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren teammates Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris, a rookie, were eliminated following the second round of qualifying for the race and are set to start in 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th place, respectively.

Racing Point’s Lance Stroll and ROKiT Williams Racing teammates George Russell, a rookie, and Robert Kubica were eliminated following the first round of qualifying for the race and are set to start in 16th, 17th and 18th place, respectively.

Alfa Romeo Racing rookie Antonio Giovinazzi did not attempt a qualifying run due to mechanical issues while Toro Rosso rookie Alexander Albon did not do so due to the fact that he crashed heavily in the third and final practice session for the race and his car sustained heavy damage that could not be repaired before the qualifying session.

Here are the full qualifying results for the 2019 Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit.

Qualifying Results
1st – Valtteri Bottas
2nd – Lewis Hamilton
3rd – Sebastian Vettel
4th – Charles Leclerc
5th – Max Verstappen
6th – Pierre Gasly
7th – Daniel Ricciardo
8th – Nico Hulkenberg
9th – Kevin Magnussen
10th – Romain Grosjean
11th – Daniil Kvyat
12th – Sergio Perez
13th – Kimi Raikkonen
14th – Carlos Sainz Jr.
15th – Lando Norris
16th – Lance Stroll
17th – George Russell
18th – Robert Kubica
19th – Antonio Giovinazzi
20th – Alexander Albon

The live broadcast of the 2019 Formula 1 season’s third race, the Chinese Grand Prix, is set to begin on ESPN2 from Shanghai International Circuit tomorrow at 2:05 a.m. ET.