Max Verstappen: "It was incredibly slippery out there and I struggled a lot to get the temperature in the tyres, that's why it was very difficult to keep the car on track.

"The car never really switched on for me and it was like driving on ice, which is why I think we deserved where we finished in Sprint Qualifying. It wasn't really working for me in the wet, even though I think in the dry the car was quite good and I was quite happy with that. It doesn't always go as planned but it's not like you have to start on the inside here, there will be low grip for everyone due to the paint on the tarmac here and so we have to try and have the best start possible. I think it is going to be quite a long stint on one set of tyres for the Sprint but I think that that will make it quite interesting."

Sergio Perez: "Things were looking great initially, then with the traffic and the backoff people were doing we were onto a good final lap but unfortunately, I just couldn't do the final corner, it was so tricky to get through there and that meant I went off. That compromised being on the front row for the Sprint but I think we are in a good place this weekend. I felt confident straight away today and we ae in a good moment with the car, so in any conditions I think we can be competitive for now, which is very promising."

Christian Horner: "Firstly, it's great to be back in China. The Sprint Qualifying certainly proved exciting albeit in tricky conditions. Fourth and sixth to start the Sprint tomorrow is obviously not what we were aiming for but it's a circuit that you can overtake on and therefore we know we are in the fight. The conditions on Saturday look to be a little more consistent than they were today so we are hopeful of a competitive Saturday and we will look to move up the field quickly and deliver a strong performance tomorrow in the Sprint and then in qualifying."

Check out our Friday gallery from Shanghai here.