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Formula 1 Chinese GP

Chinese GP final practice and qualifying

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Ultrasofts for everyone else, as you'd expect.
Hulkenberg and Grosjean are first out - Grosjean on soft tyres.
Green flag
Q3 is go in Shanghai. Time for the pole shootout!
Information
Into Q3: 1 Hamilton; 2 Bottas; 3 Raikkonen; 4 Vettel; 5 Hulkenberg; 6 Grosjean; 7 Ricciardo; 8 Verstappen; 9 Perez; 10 Sainz
Crash
Out in Q2: 11 Magnussen; 12 Ocon; 13 Alonso; 14 Vandoorne; 15 Hartley
Then Sainz throws in a last-gasp lap for 10th and Magnussen is left in an eliminated 11th.
Alonso is pushed out as the Force Indias improve, with Perez then knocking team-mate Ocon out.
Bottas goes second and gives Mercedes a surprise one-two.
As both Ferrari drivers abandoned their laps and headed to the pits, they will also start the race on soft tyres.
Hartley is only 14th and is out.
Hulkenberg jumps to fourth ahead of Ricciardo.
Raikkonen decides to pit, as does Vettel.
Alonso goes ninth with his only Q2 run after abandoning his first lap.
Checkered flag
Chequered flag falls for the end of Q2.
Stopwatch
Hamilton goes fastest by 0.372s - that's a huge turnaround!
Raikkonen is still quicker in sector two, but not by much.
Stopwatch
Raikkonen beats Hamilton's first sector time, as Hamilton sets a new sector two best.
Much better start from Hamilton, who sets the best first sector of anyone so far.
The Mercedes drivers are taking another run on softs. Ferrari has fitted ultrasofts, but will Vettel and Raikkonen complete their laps?
Everyone bar the Red Bulls now building up to final runs, everyone on track using ultrasofts except the Mercedes still on softs.
Replays show Grosjean ran wide at Turn 9 on his first Q2 lap.
Information
The Force Indias complete the top 10, then the drop zone is 11 Sainz; 12 Vandoorne; 13 Hartley. No time yet: Grosjean, Alonso
Information
1 Raikkonen; 2 Vettel +0.099s; 3 Ricciardo +0.402s; 4 Bottas +0.414s; 5 Verstappen +0.523s; 6 Hamilton +0.601s; 7 Magnussen +0.700s; 8 Hulkenberg +0.703s
Hamilton inches up to sixth ahead of Magnussen, and is at least within 0.601s of the pace now.

By: Geoff Creighton

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