Oscar Piastri put the wind up McLaren team-mate Lando Norris by claiming the first pole of his career for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Worse news for Norris came at the end of the session when George Russell squeezed his Mercedes up the time sheets ahead of him. So Russell, who said it was a tough qualifying session, starts tomorrow from second on the grid with Norris a place back.

Norris’s setback came as an extra frustration after the sprint earlier. He finished an unexpectedly lowly sixth in the 19-lap dash won by Ferrari new boy Lewis Hamilton.

Max Verstappen qualified fourth best for Red Bull with Hamilton fifth, a tenth faster than his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc. This is a track the seven-time world champion likes and where he has won a record six times.