Chinese Grand Prix – Formula One: Live leaderboard and lap-by-lap updates as Oscar Piastri starts on pole ahead of George Russell

I hate to join the pile-on, but my word Liam Lawson is having a stinking start to life at Red Bull.

After finishing 14th in the sprint race, the New Zealander finished dead last in qualifying.

That second Red Bull seat may not be easy, but you can’t be finishing last in the grid… it’s just not good enough.

And now news has come through that he will start the Grand Prix from the pit lane.

He is going to have to play a blinder if he wants any points…

The Chinese Grand Prix is one of the most exciting races to watch on the calendar, it really is.

There is a reason Lewis Hamilton loves the track in Shanghai so much, it’s because of how fast it is.

Expect to see some crazy racing when it all kicks off at 7am, China always brings the heat.

With that being said, here are some facts about Shanghai you may want to know:

• Track Length – 5.451km
• Most wins – Lewis Hamilton (6)
• Safety Car probability – 75%
• Virtual Safety Car probability – 75%
• Pit stop time loss – 23.9 seconds (including 2.5s stationary)

Yesterday was busy, busy, busy.

Oscar Piastri may have taken pole but before that, we got to watch the sprint race, which is always great fun.

And well, it was certainly great fun for Lewis Hamilton.

The Birton held off Piastri and Max Verstappen to win for the first time in Red after a superb drive.

After how he performed in Australia, it was a much-needed victory to boost the hopes of Ferarri.

Qualifying did not quite go as well for Hamilton after, but the eight points are good enough for the Scuderia.

If he can drive like he did in the sprint race, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hamilton rise u the leaderboard.

But can he challenge for a podium?

Oscar Piastri, McLaren driver, speaking after qualifying:

I’m glad it looked like that [being hooked up] because it didn’t feel like that. In Q3 I just found a lot of pace, in Q1 and Q2 I was genuinely struggling but the car just came alive in Q3 and I came alive.

I’m happy with what I did in the end, the laps were still a bit scruffy but I’m just pumped to be on pole. It’s a lot of fun, with the new surface it’s extremely grippy which for us is the best feeling in the world.

The only thing that comes with that is if you lose grip it bites and you’ve probably seen a lot of snaps and a lot of moments this weekend; with the surface we’ve got it’s pretty tricky. When you hook it up, it feels pretty mega, so I will take the fastest lap of Shanghai.

Oscar Piastri may be in pole position, but that doesn’t mean this race is wrapped up already.

I’m pretty sure George Russell will have something to say about that.

Look, we all know that McLaren have the best car in the early stage of this season, so Piastri certainly has an advantage.

The Australian must be confident too as it was his first-ever polse in Formula One.

But Russell did look very good in qualifying after the sprint race, I have to say, and he will be hunting Piastri down from the start.

Lando Norris, who won last week in Australia, will also be having a pop too, I’m sure of it.

It could be a chaotic first corner, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out.

The Chinese Grand Prix starting grid:

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

2. George Russell (Mercedes)

3. Lando Norris (McLaren)

4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

7. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)

8. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

9. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)

10. Alex Albon (Williams)

12. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)

13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

14. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

15. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

16. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

17. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)

20. Liam Lawson (Red Bull)

If you are up this early then you must be a huge F1 fan, it’s the only explanation for being up at 6am on a Sunday.

We are in for a cracker of a morning as the drivers take to the track in Hanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri is the man to beat after putting in a record-breaking lap to take pole ahead of George Russell.

It’s going to be a very entertaining 56 laps as the drivers attack the Australian from the get-go.

It’s the perfect day for it too, the sunshine is beaming down on the track in Shanghai – it’s beautiful.

Let’s get this show on the road.