P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Why Norris’ China F1 sprint pole lap was deleted and reinstated
Rain made the Shanghai surface even more treacherous during Friday afternoon’s final segment of sprint qualifying, resulting in incidents. Max Verstappen went off twice, and Charles Leclerc tapped the wall with his front wing. Despite his lap briefly being deleted, McLaren’s Norris secured sprint pole. The FIA deleted Norris’s lap after going off at the tricky final corner but later reinstated it manually as he gained no advantage. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella estimated Norris lost three-tenths by going off, impacting his acceleration. Stella also mentioned Oscar Piastri’s gearbox issue that hindered his qualifying position to eighth, while congratulating Norris on a job well done in difficult conditions.
