Lewis Hamilton produced a masterful lap to set the fastest time in Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc will start from the second row of the Shanghai International Circuit grid, having qualified fourth, for the 19 lap race that starts at 11 (4 CET) tomorrow. This is Hamilton's second Sprint pole, as it is for Scuderia Ferrari HP who last started from the top slot courtesy of Leclerc in Baku in 2021. So the team is hoping for plenty of points to start the Chinese weekend.

As per the regulations, only Medium tyres must be used for the first two phases and the SF-25s were immediately competitive with Lewis and Charles first and third in the first session. Conditions were trickier in SQ2 with the wind changing direction and gusting, but both Ferrari drivers made the cut to SQ3, which they would tackle on the Softs. The team opted to go for just one single run and that proved to be the right decision, especially for Lewis who put together the perfect lap in 1'30"849, a new track record. Charles didn't get it quite right and had to settle for fourth place, which is still good enough to mount an attack aiming to finish on the podium tomorrow.

The Sprint format means Saturday is always busy. After the morning Sprint race, parc fermé conditions are lifted so the teams can prepare the cars for qualifying (15 local, 8 CET) for the actual Grand Prix. The 19 lap Sprint will be an opportunity for the teams to prepare for Sunday's 56 laps, getting a better understanding of long run pace especially with the new track surface, which so far has provided excellent grip but has also placed more stress on the tyres.

Lewis Hamilton: It was mega! Really happy with the result. We knew there was more in the car after Australia, and here, it just came alive from lap one. The team's done a great job since Melbourne.

Pole for the Sprint Race is a great place to be, but there's still work to do. I've not done a proper race run in the dry yet, so tomorrow will be a real test. The other teams will be quick, but we're in the fight and will keep pushing.

Charles Leclerc: We didn't put it all together today. Our main challenge was in turns 1 to 3 and apart from that everything was quite tight, so we will see where we stand tomorrow. It's not ideal to start the Sprint Race from P4, but I will give it my all to fight my way to the front. Our main focus around here will be on tyres, and then we will see what's possible in Qualifying ahead of Sunday's race.

Fred Vasseur: We are clearly happy with this afternoon's result. After a difficult qualifying last week in Australia, today's performance is a boost for the whole team and is definitely very positive, also for Lewis who has been quick throughout the whole day, quickest in SQ1 too. Charles was also competitive and with both cars on the front two rows we can aim to bring home plenty of points tomorrow. Clearly the McLarens have great pace both on a single lap and over a longer run. We must remain focused and plan how to execute the race down to the smallest detail as tomorrow's Sprint will provide useful information for Sunday's Grand Prix.

Check out our Friday gallery from Shanghai here.