P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Why Norris’ China F1 sprint pole lap was deleted and reinstated
The rainy weather in Shanghai made the track even more dangerous during Friday’s sprint qualifying session, leading to multiple incidents including Max Verstappen going off track twice and Charles Leclerc hitting the wall. Despite a brief scare when Lando Norris’ pole position lap was deleted due to going off track, he ultimately secured pole position after race control manually reinstated his lap. McLaren’s team boss Andrea Stella confirmed that Norris did not gain any advantage by going off track and praised his driving skills in difficult conditions. However, Stella also noted that Oscar Piastri’s gearbox issue on his final lap prevented him from qualifying higher than eighth. Despite the challenges, McLaren was satisfied with their overall performance in the session and congratulated Norris for his impressive pole position achievement.
