Oscar Piastri took the first Grand Prix pole position of his F1 career, topping the order in Qualifying in China.
The McLaren driver had been unable to challenge at the top in the first two phases of Qualifying, but took charge in Q3 with two laps that were both fast enough to put him at the front of the grid.
George Russell put in a last-gasp effort to deny McLaren a front row lock-out, falling 0.082s short of Piastri and pushing Lando Norris back to third.
Piastri's 1m 30.641s is a new circuit record, toppling Lewis Hamilton's Sprint Qualifying best, by 0.208s - the time also 3.019s faster than Max Verstappen's 2024 pole lap.
Click go on the video player above to ride onboard with Piastri for his flying lap in China.
Next Up
Related Articles
Drivers hit the track for Abu Dhabi post-season test
Wolff calls Abu Dhabi ‘mediocre’ but ‘pleased’ to finish P2
Winners & Losers6 Winners and 5 Losers from Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi 'not a bad weekend' for Ferrari – Vasseur
Hamilton 'doesn't have a mindset' for 2026 after tricky year
Tickets on sale for 2026 Chinese Grand Prix