F1 Chinese GP live commentary and updates - sprint race

Well that sprint race offered some performance insights ahead of tomorrow. Various teams, including McLaren, struggling to keep those medium tyres alive. How much damage was done to Norris in that regard by all that running in Stroll's wake?

That's it from us for now – we'll be back later for qualifying, where you'll be in the capable hands of Jake Boxall-Legge.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Greg Baker - AFP - Getty Images

Lewis acknowledges the crowd again, collects his crash helmet and sundry other chattels from the pedestal, and strides back towards the garage with a final wave.

Actor Jimmy Jin presents the trophies, which look rather underwhelming.

"I woke up feeling great today," says Lewis before launching into a spiel on the subject of "people yapping" about the challenges of adapting to a new team.

"I said yesterday, Rome wasn't built in a day... We'll be back at our desks after this, qualifying is this afternoon."

"It was a really productive sprint," says Piastri. Now that's what we call an emotional celebration!

"Over the last eight laps we didn't have the pace," says Max Verstappen. "We were just trying to survive out there."

Hamilton acknowledges the crowd. Yesterday our favourite cunning linguist thanked them in Chinese. Has he been leafing further through his phrase book overnight?

Outside the top eight it's Stroll, Alonso, Albon, Gasly, Hadjar, Lawson, Bearman, Ocon, Sainz, Bortoleto, Hulkenberg, Doohan.

There was drama at the hairpin on the final lap when Doohan made an opportunistic lunge up the inside on Bortoleto and collided with the Sauber. He'll be Kick-ing himself (as will the team - Franco Colapinto watching in the garage alongside Flavio Briatore).

Jack Doohan, Alpine

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

Lawson also past Bearman, In the words of Depeche Mode, that Haas is Going Backwards...

Hadjar also past Bearman.

Final lap and Leclerc is now looming in Russell's mirrors. You remember Leclerc was in this race, don't you?

There we go! DRS on the back straight even though Lance meandered over to the right in a semi-blocking move. If it's a tight championship Lando might be glad of the point for P8.

Things have come to a pretty pass if the director has gone to sleep.

Unseen on TV, Norris has passed Stroll.

Gasly around the outside of Bearman's Haas in the T1-2-3 complex to seize P12.

Hamilton now over 4s clear of Piastri. A masterpiece of tyre management (this phrase usually a euphemism for a dismal race).

Lawson gained a place thanks to Sainz's retirement and is running P15 but he's not making inroads into Hadjar. Mexican readers will no doubt be delighted by this news. What's Spanish for 'schadenfreude'?

Verstappen is complaining that his front tyres are "dead". To emphasise their moribund status, Piastri swoops by under DRS on the back straight to snatch P2.

Antonelli half a second behind Tsunoda in the battle for P6.

Further back, Norris is still bottled up behind Stroll in P9 - but 'bottled up' is perhaps not the phrase since Lando isn't even close enough to read the Eddie Jordan memorial decals on that Aston Martin.

Piastri now attacking Verstappen for P2. He had a lunge around the outside into T1 but Max shut him down.

For a while it looked like Hamilton was struggling to keep Verstappen at bay, but on lap 13 of 19 he's nearly 2s in credit and gradually easing away.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Greg Baker - AFP - Getty Images

Hadjar past Sainz under DRS on the back straight, then Lawson sticks it up the inside into the hairpin. That Williams is falling off faster than John Lithgow at the end of Cliffhanger.

And Sainz ducks into the pits. Ay me! There goes my Fantasy F1 points...

10 laps in the bag and Gasly has gone by Sainz, up the inside at the hairpin, to claim P13.

Gasly is straight back past to reclaim P14. Meanwhile Liam Lawson is on their tail in P16. But Lawson lost a bit of his front wing as he imposed himself upon Bortoleto at the exit of the hairpin.

Hadjar has not only passed Bortoleto, at the end of lap nine he's passed Gasly into the hairpin.

Norris is harrumphing on the radio about the state of his left-front tyre. We won't repeat his phrasing, lest the FIA president is keeping tabs on the race via this live feed.

The front-left is particularly stressed at this circuit because of the high-energy right-hand corners – the opening sequence and the gateway to the back straight.

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Lawson is past Ocon for P17; up front teammate Verstappen has been given the slip out of DRS range by Hamilton again. But, as we type, Max closes to 0.6s off the Ferrari.

Bortoleto and Hadjar, meanwhile, are dicing for P15 as if their careers depend on it.

Forceful pass by Lawson on Doohan at the hairpin back there, getting the inside line on the exit and banging wheels.

Albon is P11, then Bearman, Sainz, Gasly, Bortoleto, Hadjar, Ocon, Lawson, Doohan and Hulkenberg.

So, behind the top three – HAM, VER, PIA – we've got Russell, Leclerc, Tsunoda, Antonelli, Stroll, Norris and Alonso rounding out the top 10.

Max is back into DRS range at the start of Lap 4. 

Hamilton has managed to slip out of DRS range to Verstappen just as the system is activated by race control.

Russell managed to get by Leclerc there so he's now P4 behind HAM, VER, PIA. He'll be pleased he posed with the lucky unicorn.

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

A reminder that 1m32.238s is the race lap record here in Shanghai, set by Michael Schumacher in 2004. That's likely to tumble this weekend (yes, the sprint renders certain sessions statistically anomalous, don't @me...). Hamilton's pole position for the sprint race was 1m30.849s.

That certainly makes this author pleased he swapped Esteban Ocon out of his Fantasy F1 team. You can get involved in our league – it's not too late to join!

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Behind Norris it's Antonelli, Tsunoda, Albon, Stroll, Alonso, Bearman, Sainz, Bortoleto, Hadjar, Doohan, Gasly, Ocon, Lawson and Hulkenberg.