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Qualifying report

Chinese GP: Rosberg beats Ricciardo to pole, Hamilton to start from the back

Nico Rosberg secured a dominant pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix, beating Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo to the top spot.

Polesitter Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG F1 Team, second place Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing, third place Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari

Polesitter Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG F1 Team, second place Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing, third place Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari

XPB Images

Romain Grosjean, Haas F1 Team VF-16
Marcus Ericsson, Sauber C35
Max Verstappen, Scuderia Toro Rosso STR11
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari SF16-H
Valtteri Bottas, Williams FW38
Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull Racing RB12
Valtteri Bottas, Williams FW38
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari SF16-H
Kevin Magnussen, Renault Sport F1 Team RS16
Fernando Alonso, McLaren MP4-31
Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India F1 VJM09
Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull Racing

Rosberg's Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who had a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change, will start from the back of the grid after being hit by ERS problems during the opening qualifying segment.

Rosberg was second quickest until the dying seconds, when he set a blistering lap to grab pole with a best time of 1:35.402.

The championship leader outpaced a surprising Ricciardo, second in the Red Bull, but over half a second behind the German.

Crucially, Rosberg used the soft tyres to go into Q3, meaning he will be able to start the race with that compound, unlike his main rivals, who qualified with the supersofts.

Ferrari endured disappointment, as Kimi Raikkonen had to settle for third ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel, who completed just one flying lap in Q3.

Valtteri Bottas completed the top five in the Williams, ahead of the second Red Bull of Daniil Kvyat and the Force India of Sergio Perez.

Toro Rosso duo Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen will start eighth and ninth.

Nico Hulkenberg qualified in 10th, but the German was unable to take part in Q3 after losing his left-front wheel less than two minutes from the end of Q2.

The Force India driver could face a penalty for the incident, which is under investigation.

Q2 - Red flag causes frustration

Felipe Massa will start from 11th position in the second Williams, as many drivers were unable to complete their final runs following Hulkenberg's incident.

A frustrated Fernando Alonso qualified 12th for McLaren, the Spaniard one of the drivers who could not finish their final flying lap.

Teammate Jenson Button finished 13th, ahead of the Haas of Romain Grosjean and the two Saubers of Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr.

The session was cut short by over a minute after Hulkenberg's wheel came detached from his car.

Q1 - Hamilton eliminated

Although the track was mostly dry for the start of the session, most drivers went out with intermediate tyres for their first runs, as there were still wet patches.

Manor drivers Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto went out on supersofts, however, a decision that proved to be a mistake as the German aqua-planned on the start/finish straight and crashed into the barriers.

Wehrlein's car was damaged as a result, and the Manor driver - who had opened the DRS right before his spin - failed to set a time in the session, which was red-flagged five minutes in to recover his car and dry the puddle.

The stoppage lasted for 20 minutes before the action resumed.

When the session was restarted, all drivers went out with supersofts as Hamilton reported problems with his engine.

The Briton, already hit with a five-place grid penalty, failed to set a time after having to return to the pits due to a problem with his ERS.

He will start from the back of the grid.

The other drivers eliminated in Q1 were Renault duo Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer, who will start 17th and 19th, Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez (18th) and the Manor of Haryanto.

Qualifying results:

PosDriverTeamTime
1 GermanyNico Rosberg  GermanyMercedes 1:35.402
2 AustraliaDaniel Ricciardo  AustriaRed Bull Racing 1:35.917
3 FinlandKimi Raikkonen  ItalyFerrari 1:35.972
4 GermanySebastian Vettel  ItalyFerrari 1:36.246
5 FinlandValtteri Bottas  United KingdomWilliams 1:36.296
6 RussiaDaniil Kvyat  AustriaRed Bull Racing 1:36.399
7 MexicoSergio Perez  IndiaForce India 1:36.865
8 SpainCarlos Sainz Jr.  ItalyToro Rosso 1:36.881
9 NetherlandsMax Verstappen  ItalyToro Rosso 1:37.194
10 GermanyNico Hulkenberg  IndiaForce India No time
11 BrazilFelipe Massa  United KingdomWilliams 1:37.347
12 SpainFernando Alonso  United KingdomMcLaren 1:38.826
13 United KingdomJenson Button  United KingdomMcLaren 1:39.093
14 FranceRomain Grosjean  United StatesHaas F1 Team 1:39.830
15 SwedenMarcus Ericsson  SwitzerlandSauber 1:40.742
16 BrazilFelipe Nasr  SwitzerlandSauber 1:42.430
17 DenmarkKevin Magnussen  FranceRenault F1 Team 1:38.673
18 MexicoEsteban Gutierrez  United StatesHaas F1 Team 1:38.770
19 United KingdomJolyon Palmer  FranceRenault F1 Team 1:39.528
20 IndonesiaRio Haryanto  United KingdomManor Racing 1:40.264
21 GermanyPascal Wehrlein  United KingdomManor Racing No time
22 United KingdomLewis Hamilton  GermanyMercedes No time

 

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